Danielle Hilliard is both up in the air and down to earth.
By day, she is a project manager working in air and missile defense at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in North Laurel.
But for as much as 12 hours a week, she is a community volunteer working with students interested in science, technology, math and engineering, or STEM.
Hilliard, a 40-year-old Clarksville resident, was honored Feb. 18 for her volunteer work, winning the community service award at the Black Engineer of the Year Awards, held this year in Philadelphia.
The awards are sponsored by the Foundation for Educational Development, Inc., a non-profit group that promotes career opportunities in engineering, science and technology to historically underrepresented groups.
"It blew my mind when they said I was going to get nominated, then I was completely shocked when I don," Hilliard said. "I'm just doing what I do."
What she does includes judging public school STEM competitions in Howard and Prince George's counties, helping out at a physics laboratory event that introduces middle- and high-school girls to STEM careers, and working with multiple STEM-related programs.
"There's just so much that you can take from it. STEM is everywhere," Hilliard said. "You don't have to be an engineer or scientist. In everyday life you have to deal with mathematics and problem solving. Life is STEM.
"For young kids to say 'I don't like math or science,' — 'Yes, you do. You like to play basketball. That's science. That's physics.' "
Hilliard, who also volunteers with a Howard County program that brings groceries and other items to the elderly, says she's following the example set by her mother, who raised her in volunteering from a young age.
"Working with kids is important in general. And then life lessons are always good things to teach," she said. "I've always found that working in teams, which you do with engineering projects, is a good way to teach life lessons."
Hilliard said she enjoys the ideas students raise: "They just come up with the craziest questions sometimes, things I don't think about," she said. "You learn from children because they are sponges and they soak up so much. Even if they misconstrue something, they always have great ideas."
Conrad Grant, who heads the laboratory's air and missile defense department, praised Hilliard, both professionally and personally.
Hilliard "has always amazed me with her ability to make critical contributions to complex technical challenges while carving out personal time for community," Grant said in a statement.
Hilliard also is a mother of three: She has two sons, 14 and 4, and one daughter, 8. She is on the board of three parent-teacher associations.
She said she was honored to receive the award, but she looked beyond what it means to her.
"You hope you also inspire others," she said. "If all of us just put a little bit of time in, we can truly do so much."