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Business Ventures IT’S NOT OFTEN THAT OUR CHILDHOOD FANTASIES COME TRUE. FOR MANY OF US, OUR DREAMS OF GOING TO THE MOON ONE DAY OR RIDING ON THE BACK OF A GARBAGE TRUCK ARE NEVER REALIZED. BUT FOR THE LUCKY ONES, LIKE DAN MANGUM ‘18, THE LIFE THEY ENVISION AS A CHILD TURNS OUT TO BE EXACTLY WHAT ADULTHOOD IS ALL ABOUT.
“... it really gave me confidence that a professor who I had a lot of respect for was willing to put her reputation on the line for me.”
Growing up, Mangum had two passions in life: music and basketball. And a family trip to Hawai'i in the fourth grade left him determined to make the Islands his home as an adult. Now, as a young professional, Mangum has made a career for himself in both music and basketball, all from his island home in Honolulu. As a high school senior in New York, eight years after that life-changing trip to Hawai'i, Mangum had his eyes set on studying in the Islands. He explored a few schools, but Chaminade University stood out. He liked that the classes were small and that he would be able to form relationships with his professors and classmates. “I didn’t want to be just another statistic in the classroom,” describes Mangum. “I was hoping to develop long-term relationships with my professors and classmates, which, looking back, was absolutely the case.” His parents were also impressed with the Chaminade responsiveness and attentiveness. It’s not easy for a parent to agree to let their child travel 5,000 miles away and across the Pacific for school. But the Chaminade admissions team took the time to answer all of their questions, no matter how small they were. That put his mom at ease. At first, Mangum was struck with culture shock. Hawai'i was the polar opposite of New York—he had grown up with long, cold winters and a fast-paced energy, and suddenly he was surrounded by a warm tropical climate where everything operated on island time. Chaminade was also the most diverse school he had ever attended. “At Chaminade, my immediate group of friends included people from American Samoa, Guam, Hawai'i and Australia,” says Mangum. “I don’t think you’re going to get diversity like that in many other places.”
It didn’t take long for Mangum to adjust to the island lifestyle. He’s always been an outdoorsy person, and O'ahu had so much to offer. He knew a lot of people that went off to college and started spending a lot of time at parties and at bars, but he didn’t want that for himself. “I didn’t want to fall into the trap of just going to bars for four years,” he recalls. “Being on an island gave me healthier choices and provided alternative sources of fun, like hiking, surfing and diving.” He remembers one of his philosophy professors, Dr. Peter Steiger, taking him and a few of his friends out surfing one morning during his freshman year. “He woke us up at 5 a.m. and took us to this awesome local surf spot,” says Mangum. “He spent the day surfing with us and teaching us about local culture. I don’t think there’s a better place to learn philosophy than during sunrise on the ocean.” But Mangum’s favorite class was news writing with Professor Kim Baxter. He liked the class so much that he took it twice. Mangum was a writer for the student newspaper, the Chaminade Silversword, and Baxter used to work for ESPN. She knew Mangum was a huge sports fan, so when the Clippers came to Honolulu for their pre-season games, she got Mangum a press pass to attend the team’s games and practices. “I remember sitting courtside at this game, and I was right next to the reporters from the L.A. Times and ESPN. And here I was, this 21-year-old kid from Chaminade,” says Mangum. “Not only was it an experience that I don’t think you can get at any other school, but it really gave me confidence that a professor who I had a lot of respect for was willing to put her reputation on the line for me.”
