Student-Athlete Spotlight: Daniela Mateo

10/12/2020 11:00:00 AM

Throughout the fall semester, daemenwildcats.com will feature a Student-Athlete Spotlight series to introduce you to current student-athletes from the college's 17 varsity athletic teams. Today's featured student-athlete is Daniela Mateo of the cheerleading team.

QUICK BIO
Daniela Mateo (Bronx, N.Y.) is a senior and multi-year member of the Daemen cheerleading team. She's played an integral role with the team since its elevation from club to varsity status in 2018, and has helped the group to six first place finishes in as many competitions over the last two seasons.

A biology major, Mateo came to Daemen after attending Health Opportunities High School. In addition to her studies and her time with the cheerleading team, Mateo is active with the Daemen Campus Activities Team.

QUESTION & ANSWER
Q: What is the earliest memory you have playing your sport?
A: I have always known that cheerleading was what I wanted to do and I would often watch videos on YouTube attempting to mentally prepare myself for high school cheerleading. As soon as my high school put out fliers for tryouts, I was one of the first ones to sign up.

Q: What person or persons has made the biggest impact on your life and how?
A: I would like to say that Greg Nayor, the vice president for strategic initiatives here at Daemen, has impacted my life. I say this because he is always willing to lend a helping hand especially in the moments that he can afford too. Dr. Nayor has assisted with making sure that I attended fellowship in Italy and much more. I go to him to vent whenever school is stressing me out and I appreciate all the help he has given me over the years.

Q: At what moment did you know you were choosing to attend Daemen?
A: I knew that I wanted to attend Daemen when I realized they had a cheerleading team and when I learned how well respected their medical programs are.

Q: Who is the teammate you are closest with? What activities do you enjoy doing together?
A: My closest teammate was Aerone Colvin. Unfortunately, she does not attend Daemen anymore, but we were always hanging out and going through classes together. Aerone was my flyer last year and we were inseparable.

Q: What is the best advice you ever received and from who?
A: The people that I have received the best advice from would probably be my roommate, Arden, and Ms. Tiffany Hamilton. I am an HEOP student and whenever I meet with her and we discuss how stressed I am over my classes, she keeps me calm and opens up my perspective on medical school. I would have to say the same about Arden. She has been my roommate since freshman year and that is my best friend. I go to her about everything and anything and she is insanely smart. She constantly blows my mind.

Q: What professional sports teams or athletes do you root for?
A: I root for cheerleading the most because most people think it shouldn't be considered a sport without truly understanding the complexity behind it. When people think of a cheerleader, they think of an image that is mainly portrayed from a movie or they assume it is simply cheering on and encouraging another team. I can attest to this and argue that cheerleading is much more than the simplicity that is perceived. I have torn the ACL and MCL in both of my knees and had surgery for them, and have had concussions occasionally. This is something I am passionate about and I believe that if people were to attempt to do all that we do in a days' practice, their perspective would change completely.

Q: What has been your favorite academic course at Daemen so far, and why?
A: I enjoy the cell biology course that I am currently in. The professor knows how to explain the content in such a way that I can understand and I think she goes above and beyond to make sure she is explaining it properly. I appreciate educators who know how to teach content in a way that makes the students interested and I think she does a good job at doing just that. I also enjoy the course because we talk about cancerous cells and how it becomes cancerous or what it takes to get there and it's interesting to me.

Q: Do you have any pets?
A: I'm from New York City and I have two cats at home. I've always owned some kind of pet growing up.

Q: Where did you take your most memorable vacation? Where is a vacation destination that you haven't visited, but definitely plan to in the future?
A: This wasn't necessarily a vacation, but I went to Italy for an internship that allowed me to shadow surgeons in the OR. It felt almost like a vacation because I was doing something I loved and I had never been there before. On my free time, I was able to explore and see more than just the hospital. I would definitely return if I could sometime in the future or even if I went elsewhere. I would like to dedicate a part of my life to traveling because you don't live forever and you need to live it up the most that you can.

Q: What is your favorite thing about your sport? What is your least favorite thing about your sport? Why?
A: The best thing about my sport is competing in competitions and stunting. To be able to stunt and "HIT" is the most exhilarating part and that is primarily a reason why I do it.

Q: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
A: In 10 years, I see myself being a doctor and hopefully performing surgery on those in need.

Daemen College features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.

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