While growing up in Bogota, Columbia, Daniel said he found “empowerment and strength through sport.” He participated in local club equestrian and swimming teams and while in high school he focused on soccer and volleyball. When he was 18 years old a trauma caused complete paralysis from the T1 vertebrae down. Learning to navigate sidewalks and buildings in a wheelchair helped fuel his desire to design environments for everyone.

He enrolled at Savannah College of Art and Design and graduated with a BFA in Architecture in 2019. All the while, wheelchair tennis had become his new passion, training regularly for tournament competitions and working his way up the USTA rankings. After being accepted at Clemson, he joined the school’s tennis team, saying “the sport has helped me rebuild confidence and physical strength, and it’s given me a community and sense of purpose that mirrors what I aim to foster through architecture.” Outside of tennis, Daniel enjoys sit skiing, sketching, working on designs and competing in architecture competitions. He also likes to read and learn about astrophysics, astronomy and anything space related.