Daniel was born in Brownsville and his family moved to McAllen, and later Mission; Daniel has stayed in the Rio Grande Valley for most of his life and plans to stay in Texas for the foreseeable future. Daniel completed his bachelor’s degree in chemistry at the University of Texas – Austin where he also worked in research labs; despite enjoying chemistry, his primary passion has always been caring for animals and their families. He graduated from Texas A&M’s School of Veterinary Medicine in College Station and finally returned home to South Texas. He initially planned to specialize in surgery but after working through his clinical year of veterinary school, he discovered that he loved all aspects of the field, so general medicine was where he belonged. Although he trained in many aspects of veterinary medicine, as all veterinarians do, he chose to focus his studies on companion animals. Daniel aims to provide high quality medicine catered to the local demographic he grew up with. He is joined by his eccentric husky mix Darla who has accompanied him since his undergraduate years. On his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family, listening to music, and watching movies. He continues to grow as a person and welcomes whatever might come his way.