Funny, caring, and dedicated; the words that junior, Daniel Barnes’ closest friends would use to describe him.

Daniel spent most of his upbringing in Lund, Sweden, however, as an eighth grader, he moved to Shanghai, China with his family for two years.

He returned to Sweden and remained there until graduation. After graduation, he traveled 4,330 miles and ended up here at Gustavus after discovering the school at a college fair in Sweden.

“I knew I wanted to try living in the U.S. because my father is from Virginia” Daniel said. “I applied to a few schools on the East Coast but ended up receiving the best offer from Gustavus.

“I came here expecting only to stay for a year but liked it so much that I decided to stay for all four. I have never regretted that decision.”

Being a Swedish student at Gustavus gives Daniel a unique experience.

“It’s incredible how Gustavus has maintained such a strong connection with Sweden over the years and how proud it is over that heritage” Daniel said.

“I love the ‘Swedish touches around campus. It’s always a lot of fun to talk to the many Gusties who have been or are planning to go to Sweden, or are currently taking Swedish.”

“Everyone should know Daniel Barnes. He’s passionate, a true-student athlete, and works hard for everything.” — Ehsan Asghar

Daniel has always been interested in how the world works. He strives to understand why people make the decisions they make and why the world looks the way it does.

As a financial economics and political science double major, he hopes to achieve the dream of working in diplomacy or international relations.

In the fall, when he isn’t in a classroom, you will find Daniel out on the soccer field. He is thrilled to be able to play soccer here in America.

The sport has been a passion of his since he was a little kid and throughout his time at Gustavus, it holds some of his favorite memories.

“The times I have spent with the soccer team have been my favorite” Daniel said, “ Last year we had a couple of memorable games and this year will hopefully be a good season as well. It is so much fun to play and travel with the boys”.

Daniel is a great role-model for those around him, including his fellow teammates, Seniors Matt Murakami and John Anderson.

“Dan is the best DJ I know besides myself,” Anderson said.
Apart from his DJ skills, he’s a great defender on the field.

“Daniel always has a great attitude” Murakami said, “He’s a hard worker and has a great sense of humor. On the field, he is a very smart defender and is incredibly hard to get past. His great game intelligence also shows in his passing and ability to play the ball out of defense”.

When Daniel isn’t on the soccer field, you can find him enjoying some evening ‘fika’, actively taking part in Christian organizations including Cru and Proclaim, or spending time as a tutor for both Swedish and economics.

“Daniel’s caring and helpful personality shows within his work-study where he tutors in Swedish and Econ. It is so cool to see him in action because he is so gracious to the tutorees when they have difficulty pronouncing words.

“He acts like a true teacher when helping them, but not helping them too much. He uses Vygotsky’s scaffolding very well,” Junior, Alicia Lhotka said.

Daniel and Lhotka met through Public Discourse. Lhotka was doing her project on looking to improve the Chinese program at Gustavus. Nan Li, the Chinese professor, suggested that she contact Daniel because he lived in ShangHai, China for two years during middle school.

“Our first ever communication was via Facebook messenger, and it’s always kind of weird when I tell people that. It started off very professional, and then we got to know each better and became good friends. Now it’s been over a year that we’ve been dating, and he is my best friend. Public Discourse for the win.” Lhotka said.

If Daniel couldn’t get any more interesting, he is also a world-class traveler.

“Thanks to my parents and upbringing I have grown to love traveling, so I try to do as much of that as I can during breaks,” Daniel said.

He has been all over the world including much of Europe, Ethiopia, China, and many other places. If you want to hear all about his adventures he would love to tell you.

“In Ethiopia, last January, Daniel did mission work at an orphanage and taught English to little kids. He brought so much love and joy to those boys. It was awesome to hear his stories,” Lhotka said.

Daniel’s parents gave him a piece of advice that has stuck with him throughout his academics, sports, and everyday life.

“They told me that the least I can do in any situation is work hard. Even if I’m not the most talented person in the classroom or on the soccer field, the least I can do is work hard. Hard work can take someone a long way in whatever they are trying to accomplish,” Daniel said.

“[He] did mission work at an orphanage and taught English to little kids. He brought so much love and joy to those boys.” — Alicia Lhotka

One of the main reasons that Daniel chose to stay at Gustavus all four years was because of the many great friendships he has made. One of his closest friends is junior, Ehsan Ali Asghar.

“Everyone should know Daniel Barnes. He’s passionate, a true student-athlete, and works really hard for everything,” Asghar said.

The two of them have been roommates since sophomore year and best friends since first year where they lived on the same floor in Pittman and got to know each other through the International student’s orientation.

Daniel is a student-athlete, a financial economics and political science double major, a tutor, a traveler, a ‘DJ’, a role-model, a great friend to many, and most importantly a Gustie.

“To sum things up, Gustavus is lucky enough to have Daniel Barnes,” Asghar said.