Daniel Stanley

2018 EDUCATION ENRICHMENT FUND SCHOLAR

Daniel has spent most of his life serving people with disabilities. His sister, Emily, was born with Dravet syndrome, a catastrophic form of epilepsy, and his brother has Down syndrome. Daniel has spent years watching Emily have seizures, which are prolonged and have never resolved on their own. He goes to the hospital with Emily and participates in her care.

In addition to caring for his sister, Daniel has become devoted advocate for the epilepsy community. Daniel has strong ties to the Dravet Syndrome Foundation and has been volunteering for the organization since its inception in 2011. He does not want others to feel the helplessness and heartbreak of watching someone have seizures and reach a plateau in their cognitive and academic abilities. Loving Emily has made Daniel the person that he is today. He wants to make a difference in the epilepsy community until a cure is found.

Daniel began doing research as a college freshman at the University of Wyoming and won an IDEA Network Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) Fellowship. Daniel plans to finish his Biology degree and is committed to pursuing a career in epilepsy research and becoming an agent of change for other families.