Getting to school, opening your bag, only to realize you don’t have your AirPods. That’s how senior Daniel Melnyk knows it’s gonna be a long day.

   Daniel was born and raised in Vancouver, Washington, but he was actually the first in his family to do so. Both his parents and older siblings were born in Ukraine. Daniel grew up playing football, soccer, and basketball. Now he plays football for Prairie as a wide receiver, safety, punter, and kicker. Daniel also runs track in the spring.

   When Daniel was younger he wanted to be a firefighter, but now when he looks to the future he sees himself as an architect, a job that will allow him to travel and work at the same time. Daniel likes to travel but to experience his ideal week he wouldn’t need to go far. If he had only one week to do whatever he wanted, and money was no issue, “It would probably be Superbowl week, I’d go to the Superbowl and then after just hang out with all my friends in that area for the rest of my week.”

   Clearly, the people in Daniel’s life are very important to him, Daniel looks up to his father the most though. “Everything I see my dad do, I want to be like. He’s super caring…and he’s successful, humble, and mature.” Friends and family are a big part of who Daniel is, along with God and music, “it’s gonna be a rough day if I forget my AirPods. A bad day.” 

   From everything he has learned from the people around him, Daniel has decided he wants to leave an impact on the world too. He wants to show people that you can “live in a world where you can go to school, have good grades, and also have fun while not doing things that are not responsible, such as drinking or smoking. You can have fun while not doing all that.” 

   Daniel would like to lead by example and he thinks that it’s best to learn from your mistakes and to move forward. The most important lesson he has ever learned and urges others to consider too, is to “treat people the way you want to be treated.”