2010 Annual Report: Dominick Moreno

Dominick Moreno  2003 Scholar: Actively Participating in His Community

The first Daniels Scholar to be elected to public office, Dominick Moreno still gets nervous before the start of city council meetings in his hometown of Commerce City, Colorado.

Moreno discovered his passion for politics and love for community involvement early on in life. As a student at Adams City High School, he was active in student council and a number of clubs. He served as valedictorian when he graduated in 2003, earning both the Daniels Fund Scholarship and the Columbine Never Forgotten Fund Scholarship.

The scholarships allowed Dominick to attend Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., which, for him, was a dream come true.

In college, Dominick joined a community-service fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega. “I worked on a variety of service projects, including packaging meals for people with terminal illnesses, and staffing overnight shifts at a women’s shelter,” he explained.

Dominick also participated in the “Heads Up” program, where he helped first and third graders with homework after school. “I was a mentor and a teacher, I ran my own program and created lesson plans and created a fun atmosphere for the kids,” he recalled.

In the summer of 2006, he traveled to Mexico and taught English in Palmitas, a rural village in Sinaloa, Mexico. “It was a phenomenal experience – they welcomed me like I was a member of the community,” said Dominick. 

Dominick graduated in 2008 with a degree in American Government He returned to Colorado and soon thereafter was elected to the Ward I seat on the Commerce City City Council,  where his term will expire in 2013. 

“The Daniels Fund provided me with the resources necessary to complete my degree,” said Dominick. “Being a Daniels Scholar confirmed the importance of being an active and contributing member of the community,” he added.