Last month, State High Assistant Principal Dr. Danielle Ambrosia was named Pennsylvania’s 2026 Assistant Principal of the Year. Ambrosia’s award comes just one year after State High Principal Laura Tobias was named the Principal of the Year by the same organization, the Pennsylvania Principals Association.

Ambrosia took her first job in the State College Area School District as an English teacher in 2009. She also served as an equity teacher leader from 2018-2021 and as the head coach of the cheer team from 2010-2018, before beginning her current role as an assistant principal at State High in 2021. Ambrosia’s most recent career highlight came in late 2025, when she earned her doctorate.

Each of these roles has provided Ambrosia with unique opportunities and experiences that have molded her into an award-winning administrator.

As an English teacher, Ambrosia was surrounded by highly experienced educators from whom she could learn.

“Teaching in the English department was probably one of the best gifts of my life,” she said. “I just had amazing colleagues coming up through that department, and the focus on supporting students through their reading and writing journeys was really beneficial to me because that impacts every other subject area.”

Ambrosia’s career was also shaped by the unique experience of being a varsity head coach for a team that was in action nearly the entire school year. Her coaching tenure often included working nights and weekends, which cemented her dedication to State High and her students.

“I think being a varsity head coach made me very mature very early on in my teaching career, because you are entrusted with spending so much time with students and families outside of the school day. I think it also made me really focused on my commitments,” Ambrosia said. “I loved it, and I’m really grateful for that experience. It taught me the things that were integral then in becoming a stronger teacher, communication skills, organization, the importance of getting to know the whole student, not just how good of a writer or reader [you are].”

Now, Ambrosia serves as State High’s ninth grade principal. In this role, she is the face of the administration to many incoming freshmen. It’s a unique position, and to succeed, Ambrosia focuses on building small moments into monumental connections. One emphasis that is constantly noticed by students is Ambrosia’s attempts to remember as many student names as possible.

“I didn’t go to a very well-resourced high school at all, but I had phenomenal educators growing up, so for me, I think the small things, even in my personal life, make the biggest impact,” Ambrosia said. “Remembering kids’ names, like as a teacher, I tried to learn them after day one or two. If I didn’t have them done by the first week of school, I felt like that was not good enough.”

Ambrosia continued, “I think those small things often become the big things. Something to my core as an administrator, especially, is that I want students in this school to be treated how I would want my own students, my own children to be treated.”

Tobias summed up Ambrosia’s impact on students simply.

“This is her strength; this is her passion. Danielle Ambrosia is committed to kids,” she said, “She values students, their opinions, and she cares for them, so I think that’s been her whole career. And on the day to day, she wants it to be about kids and doing best for kids.”

Senior Veer Patel is one of those students who has experienced Ambrosia’s commitment. Patel is a Little Lion Ambassador, so he sees Ambrosia’s engaged, positive attitude when State High rolls out the welcome wagon for incoming students.

“One thing that I’ve seen a lot is she’s very active within school events,” Patel said. “We do a lot of tours and a lot of student orientations, and she’s always present at them.”

Ambrosia has specific intentions when she shows up to work in the morning.

“Our job is to support these growing students as they try to figure out what they’re going to do in their lives. So, I think it’s a privilege that we get to bear witness to that,” Ambrosia said. “I want to be a positive force for that. I think too, positivity is really important to me. I don’t want students [to be] fearful to report things that they need to report. I don’t want students to feel like administration and students is an ‘us vs. them,’ we really have to work together to make sure our school is a place we all want to be.”

Outside of her direct contact with students, Trevor Dietz is one of the teachers who has been most impacted by Ambrosia’s work at State High.

Dietz is a ninth grade social studies teacher, so he works with Ambrosia, the ninth grade principal and administrator assigned to the social studies department, very closely. Additionally, when Dietz earned his principal’s certification, Ambrosia was his mentor principal. Ambrosia’s leadership of teachers and students is different in practice, but no different in principle.

“She is always looking to support her teachers, give them the tools that we need to help our students, but also she really looks after us in a human level,” Dietz said. “As individuals, she celebrates us, she acknowledges us, and she really shows that she is in it to help us, and she has our back all the time, and she works tirelessly to have our backs.”

Part of Ambrosia’s culture-building efforts revolve around the PBIS initiatives that made State High a Jostens Renaissance Platinum School of Distinction. Ambrosia sat on the PBIS board throughout the planning process and was one of the driving forces in bringing the program to State College.

Ambrosia’s hard work is the driving force behind her career, but she was sure to highlight her family and the State High community.

“I think what’s so special here is people actually believe our kids can do anything,” Ambrosia said. “It’s not this fluff message of like, ‘yeah, we can do anything.’ I think the adults in this building truly believe that any student can achieve at any level they want to achieve with support. And that, I think, is pretty magical.”

Each facet of Ambrosia’s contributions to State High is a piece of an award-winning administrator who the school wouldn’t be the same without.

“Her attention to her teachers, her students, is incredible. The way that she is able to support both through her work, but also just how quickly she supports that if you need her, she will be there,” Dietz said. “She is the kind of person that will drop whatever she needs to drop to support others, and I think that this just shows how it is that she became assistant principal of the year.”

Tobias echoed Dietz’s sentiments, highlighting Ambrosia’s passion and “fieriness.”

“I love her. I think she is fantastic, and I am so [grateful every day] that she is part of this high school team,” Tobias said. “There has never been a better team to work with in my entire career. So she is a big part of that, and I appreciate her so much.”