Story #16: Daniel Zinsmeyer

Daniel Zinsmeyer’s (’91) JEP story is a classic journey that most JEP students encounter during their time at USC: “At first I got involved with JEP because I thought working with kids in the classroom was certainly going to be more fun than writing a classic college paper – but then I really saw the impact it had on me and the kids we were teaching and I got really passionate about it. Ultimately, after starting my Sophomore year, I came back to volunteer with JEP for at least four additional semesters.”

When looking back on his service-learning years, he shared that through his many different assignments, he got to interact with middle school and high school students in a variety of schools around USC, teaching many different subjects – from coastal geography and marine science to social studies or medieval history. “It’s such a unique way to learn more about the subject you’re learning at USC while at the same time connecting with kids from the community,” he shared. Understandably so, as explaining the medieval feudal system to middle schoolers requires and builds unique skills and lots of creativity.

After many semesters of JEP, Mr. Zinsmeyer felt encouraged to go for his secondary teaching credential, which is another “side-effect” we see in our JEP volunteers – they discover their love of teaching or serving beyond just their time at USC. And Mr. Zinsmeyer is indeed currently still passionate about making the world a little better for all of us. He cares deeply about pressing issues like sustainability and currently serves on the advisory board for the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies.

His passion for JEP also still remains as he remembers the sentiments of community, coming together, and working hand-in-hand with his fellow classmates and the kids in his classrooms:
“If anybody is on the fence of doing JEP they should get involved! You will definitely come out better on the backend!”