For AACC students, graduation is not the end of their journey. Many students go on to transfer to a four-year college and continue to pursue their goals. Daniel Levy attended AACC from 2018 to 2021, then transferred to Towson University to study finance and philosophy. He has continued his education at St. John’s College and is working on a Master of Arts in liberal arts.
While at AACC, Levy worked in the Hatchery and became involved with the Entrepreneurial Studies Institute.
“I found that socializing with people who have the same entrepreneurial spirit as you really builds on each other,” he said.
Levy took that mindset and, along with Jacob Rosenbloom and Jacob Rosenblatt, founded Mindful Movements, a nonprofit that aims to enhance mental wellness and foster meaningful friendships among underrepresented communities through outdoor experiences. A recent trip involved leading student-veterans on a 9-mile hike in West Virginia.
“We wanted to create something with each other, and we wanted it to be for the good,” Levy said. “We ended up creating the nonprofit because of the transformative properties we all found in spending time with each other outdoors.”
Levy continued to be part of AACC’s entrepreneurial community. In 2023, Mindful Movements was awarded $1,000 during AACC’s annual Business Pitch Competition.
“When they say that the Entrepreneurial Studies Institute is a place of support and that sort of network and friendship and love is with you after your time at AACC, it really shows,” he said.
After a nudge from Associate Professor Stephanie Goldenberg, Levy, Rosenbloom and Rosenblatt applied for the 2024 Changemakers Challenge, hosted by the United Way of Central Maryland.
Individuals and nonprofit organizations were invited to submit their innovative ideas to address community needs and to help close gaps in services and resources. Mindful Movements was selected as a finalist out of nearly 200 submissions.
After pitching, Levy and his teammates were chosen as Baltimore County’s “Fan Favorite” organization, which came with a prize of $5,000. They plan to use the money to fund their upcoming summer and fall trips.
In business, as in finding your way through the wilderness, Levy says “It's more important who you go with rather than where you're going.”