Curious Cardinals Mentor

Daniel V.

HE_HIM • majoring in Symbolic Systes • class of 2022

PRO TIP:

When evaluating whether a mentor would be a good match for your student keep in mind that the greatest leading indicator of success is how well a mentor and their mentee get along.

Questions to ask yourself:

Would the student find this person inspiring?
Do they share any interests, hobbies, or lived experiences?

EDUCATION

2013 - 2017 • Brentwood School, East Campus • Los Angeles, California

2017 - 2022 • Stanford University • Stanford, California

I am passionate about mentoring students in the areas of Coding / Programming, Machine Learning / AI, Economics, Statistics, K-5 Grade Math, Business / Entrepreneurship, Physics, Academic Coaching, Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, Computer Science, Finance / Investing, Writing, College Essay Writing, Reading, Algebra II, Calculus, Debate, Spanish, Executive Function, and Creative Writing.

Daniel V. (IN A NUTSHELL)

Hi, My name is Daniel Valner, I am originally from Mexico City, grew up in Los Angeles and did my undergrad and Masters at Stanford.

Since I was little I've been curious about how people make decisions and use technology to interact with the world. In middle and high-school I started a blog asking leaders of the Latin American world questions about how they made decisions.

At Stanford I found the perfect major to dive into this called Symbolic Systems where I got to explore decision- making from different disciplines: psychology, computer science, economics, philosophy and linguistics. I loved the technical aspects of this so I did a Masters in Computer Science concentrating on AI.

I am passionate about applying what I learn in these disciplines in the real world. I've done internships and part time work at 7 Startups and 3 Venture Capital firms helping build technology products and grow businesses around them. I love talking about innovation and how to make ideas into reality.

I've been mentoring since middle school and high-school where I did peer tutoring in Math, Chemistry, Spanish and Chinese. As a Senior in high school I was a "Peer Leader" which means I co-taught a class of freshmen on techniques of how to tackle high school. Through college, I helped students with the college applications as well.

When mentoring students I'd love to help them achieve whatever goals they set for themselves. Not only help them achieve academic and personal success, but also help them find their interests, develop curiosity about the world in general and develop skills they can transfer to any type of learning situation.

I think I excel in mentoring students in STEM fundamentals (Math, Computer Science, Physics, Econ etc.) Language (Writing, Spanish, Italian, Philosophy, College Essays) and Extra Curricular projects (Launching a new business, coding, starting a blog, general college applications).

Watch Daniel V. break down a subject they’re passionate about.

WHY THIS MATTERS:

Our mentorship sessions happen virtually over Zoom. It’s important to get a sense of how someone’s personality can come through on a video call. The best way to ensure your student is excited about learning is to have someone on the other side that they look forward to talking to.

What is a passion project you’re working on or have created in the past?

How did you spend your summers in high school?

What advice would you give your middle or high school self?