Daniel Slaughter Class of 2018

Interview by Aneara Burns. Photo courtesy of Daniel Slaughter.

Friendship has always pushed the importance of STEM, encouraging students to pursue a career in the field. Daniel Slaughter is a perfect example of an alum who has taken that encouragement and turned it into a career. I had the opportunity to talk to him about his career, experience at Tech Prep and his college experience.

Aneara: What college did you attend and what was your major?

Daniel: I attended Georgia State University, majoring in Neuroscience.

Aneara: What was college life like for you? 

Daniel: When I first graduated I went down to Atlanta and moving to a new city by myself was kind of a struggle, but I slowly progressed, became more social and adapted. Then my experience got cut short because COVID happened halfway through my sophomore year. I went through 18 months of COVID. I was depressed and fighting for my life, but as soon as I went back, I was like, I got to make the most of my remaining time here. So I went back and had fun.

Aneara: After college, what was your career path like?

Daniel: I graduated five months ago, and currently am a chemistry teacher at Tech Prep. Ultimately I would like to go to medical school after preparing for the MCAT and perhaps getting some research experience behind me. My goal is to become a surgeon, specifically a neurosurgeon.

Aneara: What is it like working for the high school that you once attended? 

Daniel: Well  it's my eighth day teaching. So far it’s cool, because the kids see me and tell me, “I've seen you walking around the halls, and I've seen your pictures up everywhere.”On the first day, they recognized me. My colleagues are my former teachers, so they already know me too. I think it's a cool experience to come back and pretty much give back to where I graduated from.

Aneara: What inspired you to take the job at Tech Prep?

Daniel: Originally, I saw that there was an opening at Tech Prep, but it wasn't what I was looking to teach. I was trying to teach biology, because that's more related to my interests. But I was like, it's Tech Prep, why not come back? Why not come back to the school where I graduated from? I told Ms. Booth that I was interested in applying, and that's all she needed to hear. She said, “I want you to teach chemistry for me.” Once I heard how excited she and everybody else were to have me come back in the building and teach, it was an easy decision.

Aneara: And what do you think about the importance of STEM and encouraging young black students to pursue it as a career?

Daniel: I think that just having a basic foundation with all sciences is important because you need to be well-rounded and well-educated in everything, especially science, because that's how the world works. If scholars have an understanding of how the world works, it benefits them in every aspect of life. We're pursuing STEM careers. I think STEM is the future as we're going into a more technology oriented world. Students have to be prepared for that, and science is the gateway to it.

Aneara: Do you feel like Tech Prep prepared you enough for college?

Daniel: Did I feel like they prepared me enough for college? They’ll probably get mad at me for saying this, but no. That was one of the reasons for me wanting to come back and teach chemistry, because when the kids I'm teaching now go to college, I want them to have a better foundation than I had. When I took chemistry in college I had to relearn everything from the ground up. When I walked into a predominantly white university, it seemed like everybody knew more than me. Everybody else was more prepared than me, so I had to catch up quickly before I fell behind. I feel like a lot of my graduating class felt the same, because not a lot of them finished college. I don't feel like they prepared me in a way that I needed them to. I needed more structure in my education.

Aneara: What is one lesson that Tech Prep taught you for life after high school? 

Daniel: I would say to just be kind to everyone that I'm around, because you never know who is going to come back into your life later on and might be able to help you in the future. I just feel like just being a kind person is what you should do. Be kind, be friendly, and be approachable.

Aneara: Do you have any inspirational words for our readers?

Daniel: No matter how out of place you feel, you belong in the spaces that you're occupying. Be confident in yourself, and everybody else will see that too.

Alumni Editor Aneara Burns is a junior at Arizona State University and a 2020 graduate of Friendship Collegiate Academy.