REWIND: In the 2016 YouTube Rewind special, Poly sophomore Daniel Lara appears alongside over 100 other influential YouTubers.
By Chloe Vega, Staff Writer
Last February, Daniel Lara (10) appeared on social media websites around the country in a popular viral video simply recognized as “Damn Daniel.” In the video, Lara’s friend, another Poly student, Joshua Holz (11) recorded him showing off his iconic white Vans, accompanied by Holz’s iconic “Damn Daniel.” Since then, Lara has been adjusting to his popularity, traveling around the United States and across the Pacific Ocean to attend charity events and premieres. Recently, he also made an appearance in YouTube’s popular annual Rewind video, released on December 7, 2016. For the last six years, YouTube has concluded the year with a “year in review” special, formally known as YouTube Rewind. The video highlights the most influential pop culture events of the year, which include songs, movies, games and celebrities.
Since February, Lara has participated in several local charity events such as the Redlands Believe Walk for breast cancer on October 2nd. On March 10th, he visited the Loma Linda hospital, donating hundreds of pairs of white Vans— the trademark of his fame. “I feel that it’s important to give back, and if you’re in the position to, you should,” Lara explained.
Recently, Lara flew to Japan to participate in the filming of the annual YouTube Rewind special. Lara worked together with other social media stars, such as Hayla and Bie The Ska, two YouTubers from Dubai and Thailand, partying in the front seat of a symbolic white van. “There were social media influencers from all over the world who came together to film the video; it was a really interesting experience,” Lara said.
Despite all the travel and and exposure, Lara still lives his life as normal as before. “My life hasn’t changed very drastically; if anything I’ve only missed a lot more school,” Lara said. “I’m not doing much, just trying to get the best grades and high school experience I can,” he remarked. Lara’s goals for the immediate future include getting into a good college and possibly pursuing a career in aviation. “For now, [the goal is to] definitely finish high school and get into college, maybe get into aviation, but I’ll have to start getting flight time right now,” Lara said. “I just want to have a fun time and enjoy myself.”