The members of the Hackley’s Buildings and Grounds crew are the unsung heroes of the Hackley Community. Without them, our school wouldn’t be able to run efficaciously. They are here at school every day making sure our lives run smoothly, yet we don’t know much about them. One of the B&G members is Daniel Sosa.

For the past four years, Daniel has been working at Hackley, cleaning the hallways, classrooms, and offices. He loves his job and Hackley’s friendly and inclusive community. He sees it as an opportunity to meet new people and have interesting conversations. Outside of Hackley, he also works as a bus driver. Daniel said, “I am proud to have two jobs. I am proud to be part of the Hackley family. I am proud to be who I am right now.”

Daniel first came to the United States when he was 11 years old. He was living with his father who already had a job in New York. His mother stayed in the Dominican Republic taking care of the rest of the family while maintaining her profession as a doctor. Daniel’s transition to life in the United States was his greatest challenge. He wanted to make his family proud by becoming successful.“Coming to the U.S. has made me stronger. I used to live with my mom, but when I came to the US, I lived with my dad. Not having my mother … [and] fighting for the things that would make my mother proud… made me stronger.” Like other parents who want the best for their children, Daniel’s parents believed that sending him to the United States was his best chance to succeed.

Like many kids from the Dominican Republic, Daniel dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player. He dedicated his time

to playing baseball for his school and with outside teams.“I used to play in Middle School. I was good… [I had] ten home runs in 25 hits… I was good at stealing bases,” said Daniel. However, after listening to rap songs, his perspective changed drastically.

Daniel now sees his future in rap. It is his American Dream. “I like Drake and Rick Ross. They are my inspiration because they came from the bottom. They worked hard, doing their best. Now, they made their name[s],” said Daniel.

During his spare time, Daniel works in a studio writing Spanish rap. He uses it as a medium to express himself. “Spanish rap is one of the careers that I want to complete… I never went to college because of music. Everything for me was music. I want to complete my music,” he said.

In his lyrics, Daniel incorporates a positive attitude.“I rap about what is happening on the streets, about women, about what I feel. I do a lot of different stuff… I write positive rap music.” He incorporates various styles into his lyrics; however, he prefers to write Spanish Rap. To Daniel, rap is a way for him to tell his story. He admires artists who focus on honesty. “I got into rap because of a guy named Cosculluela. He is a Puerto Rican rapper. I am inspired by his honesty, his music, his flow,” said Daniel.

Daniel hopes that his name and music can be promoted by mainstream rappers. He keeps an optimistic attitude.“Keep fighting for your dream. Never stop. People will tell you that you can’t do it. Don’t listen to them. Keep going because one day it is going to come true,” said Daniel. He is planning to collaborate with Hackley students in the near future to achieve his dream: “I want to do a song with Hackley students in English and Spanish… I think it can be a great song.”