Daniel Damen

Hometown: Stockton, Ca.
High School: Lincoln High School
Major: Psychology, minor in philosophy
Possible Career: Teaching

Daniel attended a very large public school in central California. He was founder and president of the Cordoba Club, which gives presentations to students during lunch break on global and multicultural issues. The group sponsored open forums and brought in speakers on topics such as Understanding Cultures/Religions, The War in Iraq, Mercy, and Men vs. Women.

Daniel has been an active member of the Child Abuse Prevention Council since middle school, helping to organize fund raisers and spearhead new auxiliary teams. He participated in the California Scholarship Federation and attended the National Youth Leadership Medical Forum at Georgetown University. Daniel's interest in Speech and Debate led him to numerous competitions. He was invited to state and nationals multiple times, and won a college scholarship from the Lions Foundation Student Speaker Competition with his speech on the assigned topic, "Democracy: Is It for Everyone?" Other activities included varsity tennis and chess. Dan is also an accomplished magician performing regularly at local restaurants, homeless shelters and retirement homes. His eclectic close-up mix of card manipulation, pseudo-mentalism and comical pickpocketing has visited countless spectators.

The summer after his freshman year, Daniel traveled to Kenya and participated in the Global Volunteers HIV/AIDS orphanage project. The following summer he returned home for medical experience and two semesters of physics. During his junior summer, Daniel embarked on a 4000-mile cross-country camping journey from Philadelphia to the West Coast. The end-point destination was the southern coast of California, where he studied chemistry at UC San Diego and fundraised for various nonprofits.

At Swarthmore, Daniel was elected a Student Academic Mentor (SAM), the academic equivalent of an on-hall Resident Assistant. He also enjoys Forensic Debate, Chess Club, and recreational basketball and tennis leagues.