About Daniel Reichwein

I was a 29 year old, non-traditional student who served in the military.

I have endured several life experiences that most students will never know.

Due to a hereditary illness and lack of support, I became homeless for nearly three years – dropping out of university, being discharged from the U.S. Army, and entering financial ruin along the way. Eventually, I received the proper medical treatment and met a social worker at a homeless support organization. She personally vouched for me so I could get a job despite my past record and helped me enroll at a community college. A co-worker at this new job who became my best friend discovered I was homeless and gave me a place to live. I finished my associate’s degree in a year while working 32 hours/week, graduating with a 3.94 GPA and various honors.

Prior to this experience, I never truly knew what I wanted to do with my life, but these simple acts of kindness gave me a path in life. I decided I wanted to do something that would make a difference and help the destitute regain their lives as I regained mine. And so I chose to study business in order to learn how professionals manage and operate organizations with the eventual goal of managing or creating a non-profit organization that helps get homeless people off the street. I transferred to the College of William & Mary in January 2013 and was confident I would gain the knowledge, skills and help from William & Mary’s amazing faculty that I needed to fulfill my dream.