GRANITE CITY — Danielle Folkerts, a freshman at Marquette Catholic High School in Alton and a spring graduate of St. Elizabeth School in Granite City, has been selected by Gateway East Young Achievers, a chapter of the International Leadership Network (ILN), as one of the 295 students to receive recognition as a Gateway East 2013 Young Achiever.

The daughter of Daniel and Cheryl Folkerts of Granite City, Danielle was also honored as one of the top 12 Medallion winners and was one of the four students selected to receive special recognition as a Gateway East Young Achiever of the Year. She received a certificate and a $250 award and was then honored as one of the Young Achievers of the Year International Award winners by ILN.

While attending St. Elizabeth, Danielle was continually on the honor roll and received many awards, such as the Positive Role Model character award, Junior Achievement award, Charter Education Leadership award and awards for perfect attendance, reading, math and science. She was a Student Council representative, a student patrol leader, and a member of the girls basketball team who won the Southern Illinois Conference Eighth Grade Championship. Additionally, she was a regional winner of the Knights of Columbus basketball shooting contest.

Danielle is now a member of the girls volleyball, basketball and soccer teams at Marquette. She is active in Taekwondo martial arts and won the Illinois State Championship in 2011 and 2013. In addition she was ranked No. 1 in the World rankings. Earlier this year she finished in first place at the World Championship Tournament in Little Rock, Ark. She earned her first degree black belt in sixth grade and her instructor chose her to become a junior leadership instructor for the younger students.

ILN is a nonprofit charitable organization founded in 1990. To fulfill its mission to develop and implement programs that empower young people to succeed, ILN sponsors the Young Achievers and Leaders of Tomorrow recognition programs and the LEAP (Leadership Education Achievement Partnership) mentoring program.

Young achievers are students in grades 5-9 who are positive role models, leaders, successful achievers in a variety of areas, good citizens in their school and communities, and competent scholars with good attendance records.