Junior Daniel Kimalat is an extremely exceptional and hardworking student at Northwest High School. He not only takes an Advanced Placement class but is also a member of the dual enrollment, National Honor Society, Student Council (STUCO), Marching and Jazz Band as a wind ensemble, and several clubs, and he has performed in a year of track.
Kimalat enjoys helping people and manages to help people in everything he does. Many eighth graders feel nervous or alone when coming to the high school, so Kimalat uses the band camp program as a chance to get to know some of them so that they become more comfortable when they come to the high school the following year. Kimalat is also a contributor in robotics, taking opportunities to help the younger students get more acquainted with high school. One of the freshmen, Elanor Shirkey, met Kimalat through band camp and feels that knowing someone from the high school helped a lot with her transition to high school.
“It made me feel a lot better… I already knew that I’d have an upperclassman that knew what they were doing and was able to guide me through things,” said Shirkey.
Kimalat, a member of the Link Crew, helps freshman and eighth graders get accustomed to high school. He is also a member of the STUCO Club and currently helps plan events for the prom. As a member of the National Honor Society, Kimalat also does volunteer hours.
Kimalat is an extremely kind and comical student; he is always willing to help others and has a great sense of humor. Many students, such as Freshman Ashlynn Stewart, would agree with this.
“Daniel is a very kind person; if he sees you in the halls, he’ll wave at you and say Hi,” said Stewart.
Kimalat believes his parents and friends have played an important part in him joining clubs and branching out of his shell. His dad encouraged him to join the robotics club. Daniel is very thankful for his friends, Juniors Noah Thomas and Mathew Horvath-Frias, whom he met through robotics. Both of them played a big part in his staying in Northwest.
“I appreciate and am really thankful for how long Noah’s and my friendship has gone on…I’m really thankful for him and Mathew. Mathew’s also one of the reasons I’ve stayed in robotics as long as I have,” said Kimalat.
In the future, Kimalat plans to be an engineer, and his goals for college are to go to Grand Valley or Michigan State University due to their great engineering programs
and holds financing programs as his backup play with the benefit of being able to stay close to home.
For all he does, Kimalat is sure to have an amazing future full of kindness and following his engineering dreams.
