For Danny Joseph (’26), one passion has always shone through the others: the magnitude of astronomy. Since the age of 2, Joseph said he has admired starry nights and the boundless cosmos. Along the way, he said people in his life, such as his parents, have helped him foster this interest by bringing him to science museums and encouraging him to explore space science.
“If I had to draw it all back to one moment, it would be when I was being read the space atlas book when I was very young by my parents,” he said. “Ever since then, I have enjoyed space travel and space a lot.”
One way Joseph said he has been able to nurture his love for space has been through building and launching model rockets. He attended a rocket club called the East Anglian Rocketry Society, an English organization that meets on the first Sunday of every month. Attendees have the opportunity to take part in building and launching rockets.
Joseph said his past self athis old school “was talking all about space the whole time,” and that side of himself “hasn’t been that present here yet.”
I was talking about space everywhere, every time, every second of my life.
During the summer of 2023, Joseph’s passion for space gave way to an interest in Formula One, which has become a large aspect of Joseph’s life. Joseph said he cannot quite pin down why this change occurred after years of investment in science.
“I don’t know what happened, but over the summer before I came here, I underwent kind of a shift towards Formula One,” Joseph said. “Before then, it was all space. I was talking about space everywhere, every time, every second of my life.”
While Joseph said his shift in interests has really impacted him as an individual and how he spends his time, his love for space has continued alongside a newfound passion for Formula One and racecars.
“I have passions that come and go, and space has stuck with me the whole time,” he said.
Although Joseph said he is proud of his attentiveness to space, he has realized that it can shield his other passions.
“At my old school, one thing that many people didn’t necessarily know about me was that I did, a few years before I left, I did go-karting,” he said. “Everything about space almost, like, overshadowed what I was doing in other passions and hobbies.”
Joseph said one motivation for his vast exploration of different passions is his ability to draw inspiration from a variety of sources. He said he doesn’t have one particular person he looks up to and is inspired by, and said he takes “passion, inspiration and follow my parents as well as my family.”
Overall, Joseph said he looks up to those who are kind to one another and views them as role models for what he hopes to achieve in his passions.
“When I see someone, acting really in a way, I feel like, ‘Oh, I want to be like that, too,’” Joseph said. “It’s inspiring for my life.”
