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Daniel Alejandro Leon

Biography

Profile: Daniel Leon wants to change the world for the better...and if you talk to his friends, advisors and teachers you’ll end up believing he can do it.  Daniel, who was just a boy of five when he came to the U.S. from Venezuela, is on his way from community college in Florida to the seat of power, Washington, DC, where he’ll finish his undergraduate degree at American University.  The young man whose goal is to work in the non-profit arena was a mainstay with various service organizations on and off campus while at Seminole State College.  For Daniel, his “pivotal moment” came in August of 2010 when he attended his first training with the organization Young People For (YP4), an organization that serves motivated, socially aware, diverse and creative young adults who are emerging leaders in their communities. “I had been chosen as a YP4 Fellow and was being trained on different issues regarding social justice. During the training I learned about power privilege, anti-oppression, the importance of vote work, and was given all the tools necessary to begin trying to make a change in this world. The experience allowed me to think out of the box and situate myself for my future.”

Inspiration:  Professor Marisabel Irizarry of the International Studies Program at Seminole State is the mentor who Daniel feels had the most impact on him. “During her class we often spoke about power and privilege...it is because of Professor Irizarry that I had the strength to stand up to people” regarding his life as a homosexual Latin American immigrant.

Aspiration:  Daniel is truly a “man for others” and has decided to dedicate his life to the betterment of the community as a whole.  He plans on making a difference through the non-profit world.

Making a Difference: During his time as the Executive Vice-President of the Pi Lambda chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, Daniel organized a seminar series entitled "Privacy: What Rights Do We Have?" The seminar  was divided into three portions, "Constitutional Privacy", "Privacy in Academia", and "Privacy in the Workplace," and were attended by over 200 people from both the Seminole State campus and nearby community. “I was able to expand the project and have Daniel Ellsberg of ‘Pentagon Paper’ fame speak at the event. I am proud of this achievement because I realize how much of an impact I could make on my community by simply putting events together.”

Accolades:  Daniel was named Distinguished Chapter Officer for the Seminole State branch of Phi Theta Kappa.  He also earned a Guistwhite Scholarship in 2011 and was named a Coca Cola Gold Scholar, also in 2011.

Interesting Fact:  It might not earn Daniel a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but he was in the first high school production in the nation of “High School Musical.”

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