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Daniel Gomez

Biography

Profile: Daniel “Danny” Gomez was just nine-years-old when he and his family left Colombia for New York and hopefully a better life.  Long before the move from his birthplace in Popayan, a large city nestled between two mountain ranges, Danny dreamed of being the first member of his family to graduate from college.  Mission accomplished!  With a perfect 4.0 GPA, Danny was among the top graduates at Suffolk County Community College, was president of the student body, worked two jobs, and volunteered with various social concerns organizations on and off campus.  He will be heading down the road on Long Island in the fall of 2011 to finish his undergraduate degree at Stony Brook University.  Not bad for a young man who, when he first arrived in New York City in 2000, could not speak a word of English. 

Inspiration:  There is a dynamic English professor at Suffolk CCC named Cynthia Eaton, who took Danny under her wing.  Although the young man knew the importance of learning, professor Eaton showed Danny the sheer joy of learning.  She taught Danny “how to write with a sense of freedom and passion.”

Aspiration:  Long before Danny started high school he was convinced that his career field would be archaeology.  “Ever since I could read, I would run to the library, gather all the dinosaur books, and find a quiet corner to devour them. My dream was to become an archaeologist and study the world with my own two eyes. In high school, my interest in archaeology burned brighter than ever,” said Danny of his early passion for the subject. But financial realities stared he and his family straight in the eye.  There are a lot of unemployed archaeologists out there in the real world.  While archaeology is still Danny’s passion, he felt it would be better to major in economics and history and eventually become a teacher in either of those subjects. 

Making a Difference: Looking back on his time at Suffolk, Danny said that his first day as the President of Student Government he was unsure of what to expect. “Now that a year has passed, I can look back and be proud of what Student Government has accomplished.” He personally was responsible for decorating the halls of campus buildings with student artwork and led a joint effort to draft by-laws allowing Student Government to control the allocation of organization funds. “However, what I am proud of the most is how close Student Government has become with the general student population.”

Accolades:  Danny received the State University of New York Chancellor’s Award and was a member of Phi Theta Kappa as well as a member of the Suffolk Honors College.  The College also presented Danny with the Suffolk Award of Excellence for Academics and Community Service.

Interesting Fact:  Danny taught himself how to swim, how to play the guitar, and how to drive stick shift.  In addition, “I have a Spanish accent when speaking English, and an English accent when speaking Spanish.”

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