This weekend, Daniel Cook will fly 2,700 miles from Washington, D.C., to UCLA to honor two uncles he lost to AIDS.
Cook, a third-year political science student, will return for a weekend from his quarter in Washington, D.C., to participate in Dance Marathon, an annual 26-hour event in Pauley Pavilion. In its 13-year history, the Pediatric Aids Coalition at UCLA has raised almost $4 million for HIV-affected children around the world, and has continued its effort to educate the UCLA community about AIDS.
Cook said he started advocating for AIDS patients after he learned two of his uncles died of AIDS.
“When I was 8 years old, my uncle John passed away.” Cook said, “It was my first funeral. And when I was 10 years old, my uncle Mike passed away. It was my second funeral.”
Cook said he didn’t put much thought into their deaths when he was young, and he was too nervous to ask his family about it later because he didn’t want to remind family members of their loss.
“I looked up my uncle John’s obituary later in the hopes of learning something more about him,” Cook said. “I learned my uncle John was afflicted with AIDS and later learned my uncle Mike, John’s partner, was as well.”
Cook said he decided to continue the fight for them by participating in PAC at UCLA after learning his uncles passed away due to AIDS complications and that they both fought to help find a cure to the disease.
“I always keep them in my mind and in my heart when I’m doing work related to PAC,” Cook added.
Cook said he became a co-director of the Cause Education committee this fall, after having worked with PAC at UCLA for more than two years.
Cook said PAC’s Cause Education committee ensures fighting AIDS is central to all its activities. As co-director, Cook organizes biweekly presentations on both the scientific and social aspects of AIDS for general PAC members.
Cook said he found it was best to let his committee members present about subtopics they found most compelling, instead of telling them how and what they should discuss in the presentations.
“I think this leads to diverse and genuinely passionate presentations,” Cook said. “I try to lead with the mindset that one of my biggest mentors once told me: ‘In order to gain power, you must give it away.’”
Ryan Eason, a member in the Cause Education committee and third-year English and communication studies student, said Cook has always tried to establish an inclusive environment at their meetings, where the organizers are free to contribute their ideas.
“He always makes everyone excited about our projects by being excited himself and always makes sure no one in the committee is wandering, ” Eason said. “He has both a sense of authority and approachability.”
Cook said every member in PAC helps out during the event, but is also allotted time to dance with their friends. He added his fondest memories of Dance Marathon include rushing to the floor to dance to his favorite songs, and dancing to music from the UCLA Bruin Marching Band during power hour.
Dance Marathon at UCLA will be held from 11 a.m. Saturday to 1 p.m. Sunday in Pauley Pavilion.