Daniel Pavich, Excursion Club director, is also a fourth year mechanical engineering major. If this is not impressive enough, Daniel enjoys motorcycles, skydiving, and well, pretty much anything that gets him feeling stoked.
For Daniel, anything that gets his adrenaline pumping is always something he is down to do. Growing up dirt biking, surfing, and skydiving, Daniel seems to always be on the quest for adventure. “I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to go to college until I actually got to see UCSB. My backup plan was to go to New Zealand and pursue becoming a skydiving trainer,” he says. “However, when I came to Santa Barbara, I saw the wetsuits hanging from peoples’ houses and I just knew this place was for me.”
It’s actually quite surprising how Daniel ended up stumbling upon Excursion. “My freshman year was packed, and I did not really get involved with excursion until Spring quarter,” he says. “I went on one excursion trip with a few friends – went to some hot springs and jumped off cliffs (the usual). The next day I get a call from Excursion Club staff members inviting me to live in the house for my sophomore year.”
If you haven’t checked out Excursion Club yet, it is a must. Daniel’s favorite excursion trip that he has led was taking several club members skydiving on Halloween. They ended up jumping out of planes in their costumes. His favorite spot in Isla Vista is Sands Beach. “Me and a couple friends often free dive at Coral Point. It’s super awesome because you can see sharks and all kinds of marine life up close.”
But, the adventure does not stop there for Daniel. Just last summer, he and over forty staff members that made up the Excursion team went to Nicaragua together. “It was cool, because we didn’t really plan anything. We just went with the flow… and jumped off of things.”
In ten years, Daniel sees himself graduating and joining the military for four years. “I’m kind of a ‘go with the flow’ type of guy. It would be super cool to travel the states more and visit places that really emphasize sports like Oregon and Washington. Ultimately, I want to end up in New Zealand – it’s the sports capital of the world.”
They say that those who get the most out of life are the ones who tend to be the most adventurous. And there is no doubt that Daniel is one of these of people.
Wise words from Daniel: “Stay stoked and get out there!”