Daniel first dreamed of traveling to Africa in the fourth grade after watching the movie Born Free. He read about Africa and wrote reports on it. Years later, he organized the four-day visit to Los Angeles by the then president of Ghana, Jerry Rawlings. President Rawlings encouraged Daniel to come to Ghana to work with its youth.

In Ghana, Daniel would go to one of the poorest sections of the capital and coach basketball in the afternoons. It was there on a basketball court in the Nima community that Daniel asked the players about their dreams. Two aspiring teachers dreamed of having a school of their own, but they had no resources. Daniel advised them to “Find a tree and get started.” The young men took his advice and started with four students, and soon had nearly 100 students attending their school beneath the tree. With that success, a local business donated a building for them to use as their school.

From a dream in the fourth grade to befriending a president, Daniel’s journey shows what is possible when you dream, find your tree, and get started.