Nominated by Tina Okoye and Mallory Garcia

Dan has been working as a student leader for 4 years. In Housing and Residence Life, Dan started from a Hill Council president when he was just a freshman to a Student Assistant for Creekview their senior year. During their time in Housing and residence life, Dan has been Hill Council President, RHA (Residence Hall Association) Vice President of Legislation, Student Health Awareness Committee member, Activities Student Assistant for Rainbow and International Living, Summer Conference Student Assistant, Inductee of NRHH (National Residence Hall Honorary), Co-founder of the Social Justice Committee, and Student Assistant of Creekview. The most recent addition that Dan has helped create is DMSI (Diverse Male Scholars Initiative) This is an initiative where Male Identified Faculty, Staff and Admin of color with the help of our men of color are creating programs to help male identified students of color navigate the complexities of higher education. Dan has played a big role helping me work on institutionalizing this program because retaining our men of color is crucial.

Dan likes to take a holistic approach when it comes to programming in the residence halls. Dan centers their life around a more well-rounded approach so they apply that philosophy to their work. They did that by reaching out to residents about what they would like to see in the residence halls. Dan would do that through word of mouth, surveys etc. Dan likes to add a learning component in every program they do. An example of that was during the social justice committee sessions they started with Resident Life Coordinator Allee Gary. During that session, Dan lectured their student leaders about immigration laws, rights, and injustices throughout the History of the United States. Dan is a phenomenal human being. They are caring, kind, passionate, and just a treat to be around. They work so hard and never complain. They always want to learn more and are never afraid to take on a new challenge. Like I mentioned before, Dan will be pursuing their Masters in Student Affairs and I know they will thrive in this field because they want to help folks gain the tools they need to thrive in higher education.