Daniel Mello

Daniel’s interest in social work began at a young age. He was always fascinated by the films he watched in history class about the civil rights movement in history class and the impact of figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. He felt like he had missed his moment, missed his opportunity to help make a difference. It wasn’t until later in life that he realized there was still plenty of work to be done.

Like many people, Daniel began college without knowing what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. Undecided about what career to pursue, he chose Boston University because of its diverse student body. However, once he got there he realized that although the university is ethnically diverse, there was very little economic diversity. Seeking the opportunity to help those in need, Daniel joined many organizations that focused on giving back to the community. He joined Health Leads, a free social work organization, GLAD, an organization in that supports LGBT individuals to come out with the hopes of creating acceptance in the community, as well as the Asian American Civic Association where he taught immigrants math in Spanish.

Like many people, Daniel began college without knowing what he wanted to do for the rest of his life

All the while, Daniel was exploring his career options and trying choose a major. He had been advised to pursue law but didn’t feel that he could truly help people doing so. He began a pre-med track but soon shifted his focus to public policy classes, still he didn’t feel satisfied. Eventually, he found his way to the Questrom School of Business and joined the Honors Program. Daniel rediscovered law and was immersed in it. He took every law class he could and did several independent studies with professors in the department.

For Daniel, being a business major was the best decision he could have made. I asked Daniel if he felt that the many classes Questrom requires, such as accounting and statistics, held him back from taking classes that were more specific to his career choice and he vehemently expressed that he didn’t feel that way. He explained further, saying “I cannot think of anything more practical that I took, it’s completely applicable, and you need to know those skills, so for me, those required classes felt like a lot but I couldn’t appreciate them more now.”

Despite juggling classes, community service and being the head TA for SM299, Daniel still didn’t feel like he was doing enough. His ambition went beyond just helping a few people. He wanted to do something big. Daniel graduated from Questrom with a law concentration and a minor in public health.

I really wanted to know what Daniel thought the most valuable thing he learned at BU was and after a moment of thought, he responded, “There’s a Portuguese saying: you get more flies with honey than you do vinegar.” Daniel explained that he believes that ‘niceness’ is a form of intangible currency. He has found that if you are a thoughtful person with good intentions then people will be willing to their neck on the line for you.

At this point, Daniel had decided to go to law school but he wanted to take a break first. He applied to Teach for America (TFA) but was not selected. Daniel was motivated by the mission of the organization to appeal, explaining precisely why they were wrong not to select him and landed himself the job.

He was placed in Baltimore at Mergenthaler Vocational Technical High School, an overall low performing school in an opportunistic neighborhood. TFA’s goal is to raise student’s scores and get them college and career ready, but Daniel recognized the latent ability of his incredible students and fought to meet their more basic needs first and foremost.

“There’s a Portuguese saying: you get more flies with honey than you do vinegar”

A lot of what Daniel does is helping his students with their day to day life. He explains that his role extends beyond teaching, “what I actually am is a fulltime parent, politician and social worker.” Although it is a challenging job without a doubt, Daniel loves it. He firmly believes that his work extends beyond providing an education and he does everything he can to help his students. He strives to create a safe place for his students, help them through problems in their personal and home lives and get them on their feet and prepared for the world.

“What I actually am is a fulltime parent, politician and social worker”

Daniel describes his opportunity as enlightening and tremendously challenging. His love for his students and his desire to help them fuels his passion for social work which he plans to continue after his work with TFA. He explains that even though it can be exhausting and frustrating at times, it is incredibly rewarding to do something you care so much about. Even as he told stories of some of his most difficult challenges, it was clear that they didn’t deter him from continuing. Daniel has three mantras that help him stay on his path, pursuing what he loves: firstly, “we are all human, we all make mistakes and nothing is final,” secondly, “never take no for an answer,” and thirdly, “it’s always better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.”

And Daniel’s last piece of sage advice? “Gun for it. Don’t let the red tape scare you.”

Update 10/2015: Daniel now is currently enrolled in BU School of Law and still keeps in touch with his students.

Jan 1, 2015