Class of 2024: Danny Adum

Daniel (Danny) Sebastian Miguel Ponce Chavez Lipari Adum is a pre-dental Biology major with a minor in Chemistry from Gaithersburg, Maryland.

When I took my first step on the Hill, I was: Ambitious and eager to take up any opportunities thrown my way. I knew immediately that I was ready to call McDaniel College my home away from home for the next four years. I took my first steps on the Hill my junior year of high school when my school took a tour, and the moment I realized that I belonged here was when I was standing by the grand old flag across from the fountain in McTeer-Zepp Plaza and looked out on the view of Westminster.

The me who will ring the Old Main bell on Commencement Day is: A mature, well-rounded individual who will continue to pursue my goal of becoming a dentist.

Real-world experiences: I have conducted summer research in the lab with Dr. Susan Parrish for molecular biology and published the results. I also conducted Jan Term research with Dr. Dana Ferraris in organic chemistry. It is difficult to choose which research experience was my favorite because I enjoyed both of them so much. They really laid the foundation for my future clinical studies and my dental career. I also had the opportunity to intern with Carroll Family Dentistry to get hands-on experience.

My aha moment: An aha moment I had on the Hill was when I finally learned the way that I study. When taking a notoriously difficult class, I was nervous at first, but this only encouraged me to apply myself further, period. From there, I discovered the type of learner that I am. This was only achievable by having a supportive community, small class size, and a great connection with the professor.

Footprints I’m leaving on the Hill: The legacy that I’m leaving behind is that even though you are underrepresented in a field, you still have the opportunity to stand out. I want people to remember me as a fun-loving, kind, approachable, common, hard-working individual and well-rounded person who’s always willing to lend a hand.

Faculty or staff members who most influenced who I have become: Dr. Susan Parrish, Dr. Dana Ferraris, and STEM Center Director Mr. Ben Smith have all influenced me to be the person I am today. They taught me that even though the world of academia can get tough, there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. They taught me how to learn and make difficult information make sense. They also showed me that there is a fun side to life. The world does not revolve around your academics, but by infusing your personal life, it becomes a much more interesting journey.

Best class ever: The best class I’ve ever taken is Advanced Molecular Genetics with Dr. Parrish. Though the title seems daunting and the class material is slightly difficult, a lot of the learning was done through self-discovery. Furthermore, by learning all the molecular biological laboratory techniques in this class, my notes will serve as a reference in further labs. This class was also fun because it was a small cohort of hard-working Biology students, so there were no worries about being paired with somebody who didn’t work hard.

Tell us a little about your activities, including sports, during your years at McDaniel: I was involved in multiple honor societies, including: Beta Beta Beta (Biology Honor Society), Gamma Sigma Epsilon (Chemistry Honor Society), Alpha Lambda Delta (First Year Honor Society), Alpha Psi Omega (Theatre Honor Society). I was also in Greek life with Phi Kappa Sigma and earned dean’s list from 2020 to 2024.

I was part of Palabras to Words, through which I taught English to five native Spanish speakers ages 18-60 through a county partnership and trained over 20 other tutors. I was a member of the McDaniel Honor and Conduct Board, a learning assistant in the STEM Center, and a McDaniel Local leader and peer mentor to first-year students. I was also a member of the President’s Advisory Council of Students.

Took me totally by surprise: Enjoying my classes. Being interested in my major.

My favorite spot on campus: Out in Red Square in front of the library. I used to hang up my hammock there and chill.

Most mind-boggling idea I learned at McDaniel: Basic life skills. How lab skills transfer to the real world. Working with dangerous chemicals. How easy it is to make certain compounds in a lab.

My capstone title: “Purification of S. cerevisiae BRE5: a Deubiquitinating Protein Localized to P Bodies.”

What it’s about in plain talk: My molecular biology research experience: to express and purify S. cerevisiae BRE5 in E. coli for subsequent in vitro studies. And to evaluate BRE5 binding to P body mRNAs, determine BRE5 motifs that are necessary for mRNA binding, and examine the consequences of mRNA binding.

What’s next: Dental school.

How will you stay connected to McDaniel? Email, by reaching out to the Biology Department.

If you received financial aid, what did that mean for you and your family? As a Dorsey Scholar, it made college more affordable and encouraged me to continue.