General Information

Name	Daniel
Last Name	Son
Nickname	danieljson

Background

Organization	University of Virginia
Professional Title	Undergraduate Student
Bio and Background	My name is Daniel Son, and I am currently a first year student at the University of Virginia, intending to major in either data science or computer science. I am particularly interested in computational social sciences, which combines computer science, data science, and social sciences like sociology and anthropology to study social phenomena/behaviors. I am also interested in mechanistic interpretability, which is the study of how neural networks and large language models work via reverse engineering.
Why I am a Force for Health® Member...	I believe that the ultimate goal of Force for Health aligns with what I want to ultimately accomplish using my degree moving forwards. I want to ultimately leverage modern day tools like data-driven analytics and social networks to help communities centered around key pillars of life such as health, wellness, and education thrive and become accessible for all.
How I use the Force for Health Network Tools	The Force for Health serves as a multi-purpose hub for all things related health. This includes both physical and mental wellbeing; I like going to the gym so I could help share my knowledge to other users, while using some of the features promoting mental wellbeing for myself.
My inspiration	My mom inspires me, for always supporting me no matter what and letting me know that it’s okay to fail, as long as you get back up.
Location	University of Virginia
What would you like people to know about your community?	The University of Virginia is quite diverse in its student body, considering that the school is a public, state school, meaning most of the students are from in-state. There are a ton of international students and students from all over the United States, of different ethnicities and cultures, which I think is great.

My Citizenship Health Factors

Some of the factors that have been challenging for me have been...	Growing up, I did not eat very much; that combined with my height made me very skinny. I have always struggled with eating enough and meeting my macro and protein goals, even when I have remained consistent with exercise and weightlifting.
It's important for me to be part of my community's health because...	In general, people are more likely to work towards and eventually achieve their goals if they have a support system behind them keeping them accountable. This is especially true for health related goals, from physical activity to mental well-being. Personally, I like encouraging the people around me and helping them achieve their fitness goals.
Some of the strength of my community health factors are:	There are three gyms on UVA grounds, which makes exercising and meeting others interested in exercise very easy. UVA also takes mental health very seriously, and there is a student health and wellness center with tons of resources available for students.
Some of the challenges in my community regarding certain health factors are:	The dining options can be limited, especially for students without access to transportation like a car. This is especially prevalent for students with dietary restrictions; my friend has a gluten intolerance and she can eat very little if not none of the offerings at the University’s numerous dining spots.
I believe I can help improve my community's health by...	At a smaller scale, I have already gotten many of my friends into weightlifting. I want to encourage my community as a whole to not only be more confident in themselves in terms of what they are capable of achieving, but simultaneously propel the people around them. As mentioned before, I think a strong support system is very important for achieving goals.

Advancing the DREAM

Advancing the DREAM - What it means to me

I recognize that I have been fortunate enough to be able to grow up never having to worry about no access to medical care, and I believe that privilege makes it especially important for me to ensure such experiences can be made available for all. Now and in the future, I want to use data science, more specifically computational social science, to make sure healthcare is more accessible for marginalized groups, especially in the United States, where healthcare access and costs have continued to be a controversial issue.

My Action Pledge to Advance the DREAM?

In order to be a positive influence and model for those around me, I believe that I need to begin by putting myself in the right mindspace for such a task. I want to achieve my own fitness and mental health goals for the year, which include hitting a reasonably lean 180 pounds and practicing mindfulness via activities like journaling.

danieljson