Daniella Rafaeli ’17 Beacon Profile

Maggie Rivas

I am here today with Daniella Rafaeli ‘17. She is a fantastic dancer, sister to her fraternal twin, Josh, and an amazing friend, too. Please enjoy this exclusive interview I was able to get with the highly coveted and popular, Daniella.

What is it like having a twin?
“It is frustrating to say the least. I feel like we are in constant competition for our parents’ attention. Although, it can be really fun when we are getting along well and are sharing mutual interests like music or clothes. But if we are fighting, all hell breaks loose.”

What made you pick Whitney Young?
“I immediately fell in love with the environment and feel of the school. It is an incredibly diverse and cool place to learn. I also put a lot of time into finding out what dance program would be available at my high school of choice… So Whitney was the obvious choice.”

When did you start dancing and what made you fall in love with it?
“I started dancing when I was four years old. For some reason, the routine of it was my favorite part. I loved coming to dance class everyday and doing the same exact thing. It was fulfilling despite it being repetitive. I think that’s because I could see myself getting better and better each day. It helped to build my confidence in a major way.”

What would you say your biggest pet peeve is and why?
“I hate when people aren’t inclusive…But then again, I’m not always inclusive so I can’t really judge. I also hate when people chew with their mouth open or interrupt people mid sentence. I hate when people won’t give me gum when they have a pack. I hate when everyone forces me to give them rides places. I hate school. I’m not as cynical as I sound though, I swear.”

What would people say your biggest flaw is and why?
“I don’t really know what people would say besides me being loud and obnoxious so I’m going to let you take this one over.” I’d say her biggest flaw is her inability to multitask. If she is on her phone, she can’t do anything else; And I mean anything. You could be standing in front of her, saying her name repeatedly and she still would not look up at you. She also has a snapchat addiction. Other than that, she’s pretty flaw free.

So there you have it folks, Daniella is truly a jack of all trades and a funny one at that. We are lucky to have her at Whitney Young for the time being and we are sad to see her go so soon. Daniella will be headed to University of Miami this coming fall. We can’t wait to see what is in store for Daniella in the future. Keep on rising up Daniella.