Daniel Daponte

Daniel is pursuing a BA in Environmental Analysis and Policy with a minor in Urban Studies. He aspires to have a career in city planning or local government to create more sustainable and equitable cities. Through this Fellowship, Daniel will spend the fall semester paired with IOC Director and Professor Graham Wilson in a Directed Study program. He will spend the 2021 spring semester working with the NLC’s Institute for Youth, Education and Families (YEF), where he hopes to increase equity in juvenile justice and advocate for the needs of cities.

Daniel’s Directed Study will focus on restorative justice initiatives, analyzing the policy landscape and conducting case studies of the Red Hook Community Justice Center in New York City and Chicago’s Community Justice Program. As an exercise in policy research, Daniel looks forward to synthesizing the theory and examples of restorative justice projects to put together a policy proposal. Daniel hopes to learn more about alternative methods of criminal justice that focus on maintaining community and reducing recidivism.

Daniel is a city enthusiast, born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He’s always been curious about how cities work and how they can be improved. His favorite place in his hometown is his local branch of the Brooklyn Public Library where he helps run the summer reading program and community engagement programs, as well as writing grant proposals. In his free time, Daniel enjoys biking, cooking, and rock climbing. On campus, Daniel participates in BU Student Government as part of the Student Elections Commission. He is also a Writing Consultant at CAS Writing Center, helping students improve their writing skills. Besides that, Daniel is a CAS Academic Ambassador.

Learn more about Daniel.
Learn about Daniel’s NLC Menino Fellowship experience.
Learn more about the NLC Menino Fellowship.