21 Questions With...Daniel Gastfriend ’13

DANIEL GASTFRIEND ’13, PRINCETON'S ONLY TRUMAN SCHOLARSHIP WINNER THIS YEAR, ASPIRES TO PUT AN END TO POVERTY, BUT HE'D SETTLE FOR LOTS OF MASSAGES. HE ALMOST GOT EATEN BY A LARGE MAMMAL LAST SUMMER, AND LEARNED EVERYTHING HE NEEDS TO KNOW IN KIDDIE LIT.Name: Daniel GastfriendAge: 22Major: Woodrow Wilson SchoolHometown: Newton, MAEating Club/Res College/Affiliation: Tower (Forbes)What was your immediate response upon finding out you had won the Truman Scholarship?I was pretty surprised—definitely not expecting it. The first thing I did was call my mom.Who’s your favorite Princetonian, living or dead, real of fictional?Charlotte Weisberg ’13!If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?I would end poverty. Or I would make everyone be my personal masseuse.What's the best meal you ever had at Princeton?Pizza. No, I'm serious. It's pizza.In one sentence, what is it you actually do all day?Answer press club questionnaires.What is your greatest guilty pleasure?I could tell you, but I’d have to kill you.How are you planning to use your Truman Scholarship?I’m planning on going into social entrepreneurship with a focus on income generation for the extreme poor in Sub-Saharan Africa. I might also be interested in pursuing international development policy work later in my career. So I’m thinking about getting a dual MBA/MPP, but I have some time to decide.What is your biggest fear?Losing someone I love. And bees.What is the most dangerous thing you’ve done in the past year?I spent last summer in Kenya living on what was basically a nature conservancy. I took a short walk outside at night once, only to find out later that a leopard was living right nearby. Along with lions, elephants, hyenas, hippos, baboons… you name it (think Lion King). I was told that I’m lucky I didn’t get eaten, so I’m counting my blessings.What makes you laugh? Cry?Usually, funny things make me laugh and sad things make me cry.The last performance you went to on campus was…The Princeton Cares performance last weekend. It was amazing. Lots of great performances, especially by Catherine Cohen ’13 and Amy Solomon ’14.When’s bedtime?Most semesters, 3 or 4 AM. I’m taking Swahili this semester which is 9AM four days a week, so I’m now trying to get to bed by 1AM, but it’s a struggle. Still worth it for Swahili, which is the best language class on campus.Where do you do your best thinking?In my head.When do you do your best thinking?While I’m running, brushing my teeth, and generally after midnight.What is hanging over your bed/desk?A map of the world, and a picture of the preschool I volunteer at.What do you like most about Princeton?The best thing about Princeton for me is definitely the people. I think there are a lot of other people on this campus who were equally if not more deserving of this scholarship than I am, and it’s been an incredible opportunity to get to know so many amazing individuals.What do you like least about Princeton?Probably my least favorite thing is the workload, and I do wish I had a little more time to sleep. But I’ll have time to sleep when I graduate.What are your plans for this summer?I’ll be working on a social enterprise project somewhere in Africa—still figuring out the details, but right now it looks like probably Malawi or Tanzania.What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned at Princeton?Probably everything I learned in Kiddie Lit about Alice in Wonderland. If you haven’t already, take this class.What’s your favorite song to sing with the Footnotes?Kiss Him Goodbye.Where is your favorite spot on campus?Probably Blair arch.What’s your favorite charity/philanthropic organization?I’m a really big fan of GiveWell.org, which I think is the most rigorous charity evaluator out there—they have really robust standards and provide in-depth reviews of the transparency and impact of all the charities they recommend. Their current top-rated charity is the Against Malaria Foundation.In 25 years you will be…Hopefully doing something really cool. Maybe in Africa.