LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Daniel Diaz was nominated by an anonymous student.

"Growing up, Superman was always a fictitious character who constantly put others ahead of himself," said the student. "Until I entered Miami Shores, I always considered Superman a cartoon. When asked who my hero was, I used to say my mom or dad and even my football coach sometimes, but I can truly say that Mr. Diaz is my hero. He is a real-life Superman."

You will see Mr. Diaz everywhere at school, doing anything necessary to make his school a better place. He knows all the students at the school and always connects with them. You can see him serving lunch, mopping floors, restocking toilet paper, racing students, and even covering classes.
 
Mr. Diaz wears many hats at the school, but what makes him stand out is his smile as he wears all his hats. The students and teachers at the school have nicknamed him "Superman." He is a true hero! He has a genuine personality that has transformed his school for the better. Walking down the hall, he smiles and stops at every student as he says hi to them and calls them by their name. Regardless of the situation, Mr. Diaz teaches the school's students. Regardless of what he's doing, he'll stop if a student needs him. 

As he says, "When you're my student, you're my student for the rest of your life!" Mr. Diaz is constantly reminding students that he will be there for them. He has pictures of past students as a reminder of his purpose. Mr. Diaz believes that every day should be a fresh start. Mistakes from the previous day or past do not cloud his judgment of students. He believes and reminds his students that their mistakes of yesterday do not impact their current day. 

A superhero is someone you should look up to and someone you can always count on. Mr. Diaz is that person. He not only cares about the school, but the students. 

"There are two memories I have of Mr. Diaz that I will never forget," said the student. "One day, we see Mr. Diaz sprinting in the courtyard. He ran to the PE field. Our class wanted to know what was going on. We later discovered that Mr. Diaz was running because a student got hurt. He was running faster than the nurse, the AP, and security. He was running faster than a speeding bullet. Another memory I have is racing Mr. Diaz at dismissal. No cars were in the driveway, and a group of us had not been picked up yet. We dared him to race us, and he did! He smoked us! My parents always say actions speak louder than words. Well, Mr. Diaz's actions are louder than him!"

"Why is Mr. Diaz a LifeChanger? Well, he's changed my life! He's my superhero - not just any superhero, but Superman," said the student.