At first glance, Dan Leisman seems like a typical college student: he attends classes (most of the time), is involved in a few extracurricular activities, and, like most Brandeis students in Greek Life, he enjoys spending his free time in Upper Usdan with his ZBT brothers. However, there’s more to Dan than meets the eye. He is also a highly accomplished pianist who has played the instrument for more than eight years and independently studied with a professor at Julliard during his senior year of high school. Want to know more, ladies? Keep reading!
Name: Daniel Elazar Leisman
Class: 2014
Hometown: Hicksville, New York
Major: HSSP & Music double major
Activities: ZBT, BranVan, music department (such as writing music for concerts), and GAC (Greek Awareness Council) co-president
Favorite class: Managing Medicine with Darren Zinner. It’s basically about how to operate a health care organization that provides quality care while still being fiscally solvent.
Least favorite class: Chemistry lab.
Favorite hang out spot on campus: Upper Usdan during lunch. Most of the people I know hang out there during that time, so it’s a good way to take a break during the day and see your friends.
Favorite movie: Amadeus, a film based on the life of Mozart.
Favorite TV show: The Daily Show or Entourage.
Something most people don’t know about you: Besides the music thing, I’m also a really big scuba diver. I love diving and I’ve gone a lot of places. It’s my favorite hobby. My favorite place I’ve been scuba diving was probably Aruba. There’s a site of a wrecked World War II ship, and it’s really cool because you get to swim through the ship and see all the stuff on the walls that hasn’t decayed yet. It’s like a time capsule.
Favorite food: A good steak is the best thing ever, cooked medium rare.
Celebrity crush: Natalie Portman. She’s really hot, really smart, and a very funny person. I find that very attractive.
Most embarrassing moment: During my senior year of high school, on the one day I didn’t have my car, it was 2nd period and my shorts got caught on something. The whole left side of the leg ripped open, showing my boxers, and everything. I had to walk around school the whole day like that, and I got so many funny looks from teachers.
Guilty pleasure: Katy Perry (favorite song: Teenage Dream).
Secret talent: I remember almost everything I hear. I wish textbooks were audio books, it would be much more helpful for me. It’s kind of annoying sometimes because I’ll remember the dumbest things people say.
If you could change one thing about Brandeis: The campus needs a face-lift. It would be really nice if the pavement was redone or some landscaping work. Brandeis would be a much nicer place to live.
Worst fear: Spiders. They suck.
If you could be any character from Entourage: Probably Ari, he’s just so successful and powerful. He can pretty much get or do anything he wants, and not have to worry about the consequences.
How do you feel about burritos? Burritos from restaurants are good. Usdan burritos, however — I’m not sure if they’re even safe to eat!