Hello!

My name is Danny (he/him), and I am a second-year geography student with minors in film studies and urban studies. I am a first-generation Latino from Palmdale, California, where I spent my entire childhood. I love listening to music, I am a runner, I am enthusiastic about public transportation, and I love good food! I work as a Resident Assistant on the Hill and a New Student Advisor for UCLA’s orientation sessions during the summer. 

A lot of things capture me. From a young age, I developed intense fascinations with many different things. As a kid, it was dinosaurs and Godzilla. In middle school, cars and video games. By high school, my interests expanded to music, film, running, computer hardware, math, history, environmental science, and geography. I felt like a jack of all trades but a master of none. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it made me wonder about my future. When college approached, I worried about these looming, seemingly life-altering decisions. I felt that I would choose to pursue one thing and regret not choosing the other, that one choice would mean sacrificing another, and that I wouldn’t feel truly content with my decision. The last thing I wanted for myself was to feel limited and restricted.

When I was admitted into UCLA, I was matched with my perfect university. UCLA’s breadth of variety and offerings academically, socially, and geographically drew me to it initially, but these features have continued to enamor me during my time as a student. My concerns about being unsatisfied and confined were made irrelevant by the school’s diverse opportunities. Yes, UCLA offers an incredible range of majors, minors, clubs, amenities, and programs to explore, but beyond its offerings, what makes being a Bruin truly special is the experience of living it. A foggy morning in Westwood. A bus ride to Santa Monica. Studying at Powell Library. Students resting on rolling hills. A sunset over Royce Hall. Dinner at a world-class dining hall. Your favorite music when walking back home, and the beautiful LA weather that accompanies all of it. My connection to this space is built upon these subtle moments, and it is this bond that fuels my gratitude for being a student at this school.

Being a student at UCLA is also special because Los Angeles is special. It is a city of great diversity and enriching experiences, and by studying at this university you will contribute to the production of knowledge that shapes its future. My love for this city and university drives me to study UCLA’s place in the world through a geographical lens. My tendency to fixate on things has found natural progression at this school. I am constantly fed new information, opportunities, and reasons to love this place. To truly understand why UCLA is great, you have to experience it for yourself. Carve out your space, absorb every little detail, and discover the memories you will undoubtedly carry for the rest of your life.