Danny Aramouni ‘19
Danny Aramouni ’19 was a molecular biology/biochemistry major and Bible and religion minor from Manhattan, Kansas. He was a chapel worship assistant, a member of hymn club, pre-med club and a member of the band and orchestra.
What do you like most about Goshen and why?
I love the community. I love how I can go anywhere on campus and people know me and I know them. Everyone’s really supportive.
Why did you choose Goshen?
It first came on my radar because its a Mennonite school and I’m a Mennonite. Ultimately, I was choosing between the University of Kansas and Goshen. I was leaning toward KU and visited a lab there. The lab manager had gotten her degree at Goshen and when I asked her about it she loved it. She clearly found it a really meaningful college experience. When I came on a campus visit and walked around people would say “hi” to each other and wave, and they were just really friendly.
What’s it like being at a small college far from home?
Being far from home isn’t really ideal because I have to travel pretty far to get home but it’s allowed me to really connect with people here. I spend time on the weekends with friends and I’ve been really able to connect with the community.
What’s it like being a worship assistant?
It’s really nice. Bible classes are really interesting and give an academic context to my faith to make it deeper and stronger. Then when I do chapel, it allows me to put that into language that is worshipful and spiritual. It makes it feel more real. Working with other worship assistants is also fun, it’s a really diverse group.
What do you hope to do with your degree?
I hope to be a doctor. I want to do global health, I want to be a physician who works internationally. My hope next year is to get a masters in public health at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.
How has your SST experience in Senegal impacted your life?
That was a huge influence, I helped do service at a psychiatric hospital and working with those patients was a really good experience and solidified that I really wanted to do medicine, practice abroad, and work on my french. I’m getting married to someone who was also in Senegal for SST. We’re probably going back to either Senegal or Benin, both in West Africa, the year after next to do some form of service with Mennonite Mission Network, probably in public health.
What is your favorite experience at GC so far?
SST is definitely up there, it was really wonderful. That was maybe the most influential three month period of my life.
What advice would you give a prospective student?
Definitely try a lot of things but also don’t overload yourself so much so that you can’t enjoy what you’re doing. I did that my first year because I was so excited about everything that was going on but then I realized what I liked and pulled back from things that weren’t as important to me. I was able to sleep more and really enjoy what I was doing.