Da'Niel

Hello, my name is Da’Niel, and I was born and raised in Watsonville, California. After completing my education at Saint Mary’s College of California, I moved back to Santa Cruz County to spend some time working before continuing my education. After working for a short time, I quickly realized that working in a corporate environment was not ideal for me. I began to explore jobs that would help out those less fortunate and also guide me on my career path. In my search I discovered the DSC, began exploring what the program was about, and eventually found myself on a plane from wonderful California to Buffalo. Leaving everything I knew and loved behind was not easy; I was scared to move across the country by myself. However, when I arrived in Buffalo and met my new friends and what I have come to know as my family, there was no doubt I had made the right decision.

My placement at the International Institute of Buffalo is more than I could have ever asked for. It is an opportunity for me to assist immigrants and explore immigration law in a way that academia never could have provided. I have always been very interested in the field of law but was not quite sure I wanted to jump right into law school. Being a part of the DSC has given me the opportunity to confirm that the field of law is definitely where I want to establish my career.

But I am gaining so much more out of this year than just finding my career path! I am learning more about myself than I ever wanted to know, and also a little bit about the five other people I live with. I am learning more about social justice than any political science course could have ever taught me, mainly because I am not just studying it out of a book, but rather I am continually seeing it first hand. Most surprising to me is that I am also learning about God and where spirituality fits into my life. I am finding that it is more than just church and prayer, but rather a life choice. My spirituality is slowly becoming something I recognize as an inherent part of my life.

The choice to join the DSC is one that should be considered thoroughly. My choice was one I did not make for a single reason but rather because all of the ducks were in a row and it felt right. It is not a decision I made alone; I had extensive, even exhausting conversations with people who knew and loved me the most. It is a decision I am very happy to have made, and one I would most definitely make again.

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