Class of 2029: Maanas Daswani, history explorer

Maanas Daswani loves a good story.

It’s one of the reasons why he was deeply involved in theater throughout high school. It’s also one of the reasons why history became his passion.

When Daswani was in fifth grade, he had to create a project based on a page in a history book. The page featured information about ancient India.

“It was fitting because I’m of Indian heritage,” he recalls. “I realized it was really cool, seeing the connection between societies and cultures…History always involves a story, and I love a story of any kind.”

From then on, he was hooked. He began researching and voraciously reading books — many of them scholarly publications designed for older readers — on historical periods. 

This fall Daswani begins FIU as a history major and Honors College student ready to explore history and get involved on campus.

Daswani already attended Panther Camp, a three-day summer camp for incoming students. He also recently tried out for both FIU’s Model United Nations team and Mock Trial team and completed boot camps for both groups.

Daswani received acceptance letters and scholarships from other Florida schools. But the more he looked into FIU’s programs, the more he wanted to stay.

“I realized I’d be getting everything I want in an education at FIU,” he says. “If I can do awesome things in my major here, what’s the point of going away? FIU has great rankings, great professors and a beautiful campus. I feel like the place is alive. I have become especially fond of the turtles in the pond. I can see myself being very comfortable and enjoying FIU.”

The world’s a stage

Daswani comes to FIU with a hefty list of accomplishments under his belt.

He graduated summa cum laude from Felix Varela Senior High School after completing 13 AP classes, conducting recognized community service projects and being actively involved in theater.

Daswani was part of his school’s theater troupe since freshman year. He served as secretary and eventually president of the drama club. He performed at school plays and coffee nights and competed at regional Thespian competitions in Florida, earning the top score (“superior”) for many of his performances, including for a monologue in which Daswani portrayed the main villain in Shakespeare’s Othello.  

One of his favorite roles: Jafar, in his school’s theatrical adaptation of Aladdin. “I love these over-the-top characters,” Daswani says. “They are very much suited for me. I went all out on stage.”

With an eye toward service, Daswani organized a “Walk for Values” event as his school. These walks, which began in Canada through the Sathya Sai International Organization, were designed as walkathons with the sole purpose of bringing communities together to promote the basic human values of love, peace, truth, right conduct and nonviolence.

Daswani led his school in bringing together 15+ student clubs and about 300 people from the community to walk together while carrying signs with positive quotes. The event featured carnival-style games, a petting zoo, motivational songs and more. Daswani’s project was covered by local media, and he was nominated for a Silver Knight award for the event.

The project also won various community awards: Daswani received a proclamation signed by Mayor Daniella Levine Cava honoring the event. A proclamation is an official declaration recognizing an event, cause or person for its impact on the community. He also received an award for Outstanding Secondary Student by Miami-Dade County Public Schools' Values Matter initiative.

Sharing history

Daswani plans to become a teacher. He wants to pass along the treasures of history to the new generations.

“I like explaining things to people,” he says. “Ever since I was a young child I’ve always enjoyed discussions on a number of topics. If I can talk about a subject that I love, like history, and I can make that into a legitimate job, where I can teach kids and inspire them, that would be amazing.”

He interned with his fifth grade teacher during high school, and he got a taste for his future.

“I can see that satisfaction a teacher feels when the kids are excited with what they are learning, or happy when you come into the classroom or sad because of something they read in the book you were sharing. That makes it all worthwhile.”