Resilient.
If Daniel had to describe himself in one word, that would be it.
By the age of 7, he moved seven times. He was always being shuffled between his mom’s house, his dad’s house and foster homes, rarely living a stable life.
His siblings, two boys and two girls, were split up when they left home for foster care. The boys lived in one foster home, while the girls lived in another. Daniel can count on his fingers the number of times he saw his sisters during that time. Less than a year later, the girls “got lucky” and moved in with grandparents, who had room only for two.
In 2009, about to start 4th grade, Daniel moved one last time to the children’s home and was enrolled in a new school. His siblings were soon to follow.
Daniel had always been a strong student with natural talents, but finding new friends and meeting new teachers wasn’t easy. He became shy and even developed a speech impediment, but one year later, he seemed to be a new person.
“I learned to open up more. My house parents and teachers taught me how to take a step back and relax,” Daniel said. “I think that’s honestly what helped me overcome the challenges I’ve had.”
He’s also learned the more work you put into something, the better the results will be.
“I used to be so unmotivated. If I continued in the direction I was headed, bad things would have happened,” he recalls. “If I ran into my old self, I would refuse to even know him.”
Daniel is currently working at a car lot where he washes and parks cars in hopes of saving enough money to buy his own one day. Cars will always be his first love, and he’s always curious to discover the purpose of each part. Daniel also spends his time on the high school rifle team, playing video games and studying in the resource center at the children’s home. There, he has been working hard to improve his writing skills.
In 2018, the distinguished honor roll student will graduate high school and is looking forward to studying mechanical engineering in college, but refuses “to work with anything but cars.” He’s counting on his pre-existing study habits and his natural talent for math and science to get him through the rigorous college program. Thanks to donors and friends, Daniel will graduate from college in 2022 debt-free.
Daniel is many things: a friend, brother and a student, but one thing he’s never been is a quitter. To children experiencing hard times, Daniel has a few words of advice:
“Always keep your head up and be positive. Stay connected with someone and add humor to life, because sometimes that’s all you have.”
In 10 years, Daniel sees himself married, working a good job and having a family of his own. He envisions himself working hard for what he started life without.
Behind his thick-rimmed glasses and cheeky grin, there is the power of resilience inside Daniel. “Now, I let very little bring me down. My life has turned around, there’s no questioning that.”