By Jaimie Woodard, ’02
One conversation with Daniel Bell is all it takes to know that he is a young man with a great future ahead of him. A sophomore majoring in Business Administration at the University of West Florida, Bell is dreaming big – he plans on owning hotels and achieving the highly-coveted, wage-winning title of chief executive officer (CEO) one day.
“I have always wanted to run my own hotels and be an entrepreneur,” said Bell. “I chose to major in business with a primary focus in management information systems, which capitalizes on my zeal for technology and my interest in working with people.”
Having lived in Pensacola his entire life, Bell hopes that he will eventually be able to give back to the community as he strives to achieve his personal goal of hotel ownership.
“I think business and economic development are vital for a healthy community,” said Bell. “If I am successful in creating my business, it will not only help our unemployment rate by offering jobs to those who are less privileged than others, but it will also boast tourism in Northwest Florida.”
Already possessing the vision and commitment to make his dream a reality, Bell knows that he will need a solid educational background before he can set his plan into motion. He chose to attend UWF because of the small-campus atmosphere, individualized attention from faculty and abundant leadership development opportunities.
In addition to excelling academically, Bell is also a leader and ambassador on campus. He conducts campus tours for prospective students of the university and delivers public speeches that promote the importance of education to area high schools. And, he is a resident assistant (RA) for UWF Housing, plays intramural sports and is a member of Gamma Beta Phi National Honor Society. Bell is also a dedicated musician, playing both the drums and clarinet.
“I am involved in a bundle of student activities,” said Bell. “Fortunately, I receive scholarships and financial aid, so I am able to spend my time enjoying the college experience and focusing on my studies. Without financial aid, my time would be spent trying to cover my expenses through a part-time job.”
Bell will graduate from UWF in spring 2008. Once he earns his bachelor’s degree, he plans to pursue his Master of Business Administration degree.
UWF is Creating Great Futures – Want to help? Click here to make a gift. For more information on the UWF Business programs, visit uwf.edu/cob.
