Fall has been a season of firsts for Junior Biology Major Dan Shimek. A new member of the LineUs Improv Comedy Troupe and a new member of Epsilon Pi Alpha, he has flourished during his junior year and worked to take advantage of every opportunity Gustavus has to offer.

“Dan has made a really great addition to LineUs this year. His bone-dry humor, subtle wit and unique insights have revolutionized LineUs for the next season,” Sophomore Philosophy Major James Freetly said.

Along with the activities Dan is involved in, he also has a more perceptive side. There is a certain ambiance, a certain melodic, dreamy quality to the electronic beats of Ratatat, Dan’s favorite band. The songs take you through stages of ambient melancholy and wistful euphoria. Every track is like some sort of journey, which is something Dan can definitely relate to.

“If anyone deserves to be Gustie of the Week it’s Dan Shimek. You can always count on Dan for an impromptu Daft Punk dance party: he understands that one’s company, two’s a crowd and three’s a party,” Senior History Major Natalie Baker said.

Dan and his family have been on the move since he was a baby of the tender age of ten days old. It comes with the territory when your dad is a wildlife biologist. In fact, just this past summer, they made the move from Windom, MN to Cottage Grove, MN. Before that, they lived in Oklahoma, Missouri and Iowa.

“I was disappointed [by moving], but I dealt with it,” Dan said. Through moving, he learned quickly how to make friends in new environments, a skill which he still uses today. “I constantly adapt to make new friends,” Dan said.

One of those friends, Senior History Major Steve Palmer, only had good things to say about Dan. “Dan Shimek is one of the most stand-up guys on campus,” he said. “I look fondly back on when I met him, before he even came to Gustavus. While living with him this year, I’ve really gotten to see new sides of him, especially how large his feet are. I swear he wears a size 15. Whenever I walk into the room and see his shoes sitting by the door, I’m slightly intimidated. But he’s such a good guy, I know I don’t have to worry.”

Like every traveler on a journey, Dan has come across his fair share of obstacles. “Last year, sophomore year, I had a college-life crisis,” he said. It happened like this:  It was an average weekend at college. There was plenty of fun and plenty of homework to go along with it. Like every good student, Dan had planned to finish his work in a timely manner, but come Sunday, an impossible pile of homework loomed over him. He had a mini-panic attack and called his parents. “I was like, ‘Why do I not care about homework or college or life?’” Then he calmed down and thought of the words his mother had said to him. “I went to bed thinking:  tomorrow is a new day. … I haven’t had any problems since.”

In a way, that is his life’s philosophy. “I like to live life day-by-day,” he said. “I think it’s necessary to look into the past and acknowledge it. It’s the same thing with the future. It’s nice to look ahead and plan.” But he also says that you shouldn’t get wrapped up in it. While he admires those driven individuals who know exactly where they want to go in life, he said, “They don’t really get to see what else is out there, but they have that security.”

Dan, taking the initiative to see what is out there, is involved in multiple on-campus organizations. He is in LineUs, the Sauna Society and Epsilon Pi Alpha Fraternity, where he volunteers in such activities as Kids Against Hunger, Rock for Tots, Diabetes Awareness Week and the Food Drive.

Senior Chemistry Major Kyle Hunt, Dan’s pledging brother in Epsilon Pi Alpha, said, “Dan and I rushed together this semester.  When things got hard during those two weeks, I knew I could always lean on him for support, and he knew he could do the same with me. He really cares about people around him and is a strong leader as a result.”

Dan’s other interests include things like Nintendo 64, facial hair, music and comic books. “Spiderman is my favorite superhero,” he said. “I really identified with him. He was just a regular teenager. He had girl problems and school problems. I totally admire [him].”

What the future holds, Dan cannot say. It could be Africa or India, both of which he has thought of traveling to for the fall semester of his senior year. It might be graduate school. It might be Teach for America. Anyway, he has a handle on his life and a great group of friends to fall back on.

“I can’t see any flaws [in Dan], so if you’re asking for more, you’re asking too much,” Baker said.

To those friends, Dan has one last thing to say: “I’d like to give a shout out to all of my homies—they know who they are.”