Name: Danielle Wheelis
Age: 19
Hometown: Pensacola, Florida
Occupation: Computer Engineering Student
Luxury Item: Pea Flute

Biography

A Navy brat born to Desman and Shari Wheelis in Norfolk, Virginia, Danielle Wheelis spent the first few years of her life traveling to various locales around the world such as Italy, Germany, and North Carolina. Eventually, Danielle and the Wheelis family with her new brother Scott Wheelis, settled in Pensacola, Florida where Danielle grew up in one of the best public school systems in the state. Although she had an athletic tendency as a youth when she was interested in baseball and soccer, Danielle eventually learned that she just wasn't that good at sports and became much more interested in books and computers.

Although her parents amicably divorced in 2001, they worked hard to make the separation as painless as possible for her and her brother. There was no custody battle, property battle, or long arguments, but Danielle still has guilty memories of times when she had to choose between her Mom or her Dad

on certain days. Her life was exceptionally average as she graduated from high school and, using the Florida Bright Futures scholarship, enrolled in the University of North Florida.

She's currently a Freshman in college attempting to earn a degree in Computer Engineering. She lives in an on-campus dormitory with her roommate, Shawna Marks, and is ecstatic about the chance to get out of Florida and push herself to her limits.

Application Essay

A little bit about myself and why I’m the Ultimate Survivor…

My parents are both Filipino, although I was born and raised in suburban northwest Florida. Although for most of my life I’ve been a technophile and book lover, in the past few years I’ve grown a love of hiking, especially during the beautiful, crisp fall months. We don’t get colorful fall foliage and light frosts in Florida: instead, the pine trees fill the air with a fresh scent, the sun stays bright in the sky, and the temperature always hovers around the low 70s. I don’t usually consider myself close to nature, and I’m a horrible camper, but for a few months in the year, I can’t help but fall in love with the scenery. Besides helping me to get in tune with myself, hiking often helps me build endurance and willpower.

Probably my most difficult moments in life came during my last few years of high school, when I was deciding who I am. What career path I should take, what college I want to join, coming to terms with my sexuality, explaining it all to my friends and family, and trying to tie it all together into one single person and into one single future, all of it was stressful and difficult to coalesce. Eventually, I managed to work it all out and have become a better person for it. I entered my first choice University under a state scholarship and have a promising contract with technological firm in California upon my graduation. Spirituality and religion aren’t my cup of tea, but I do now understand the importance of finding who you are in the world and coming to terms with your choice. I like to believe I’m a very tolerant person.

In the real world, I’m skilled with computers and am very handy at picking up new techniques and applications. I tend to procrastinate a bit which sometimes gets me in trouble with professors and administrators, but it isn’t usually a problem. I’m quiet but attentive so I can catch important tidbits and understand what’s going on around camp, even when others assume I don’t listen or don’t care. I don’t get extremely close to others, and people usually don’t expect a lot from me, so they’re often surprised when I offer a wise quip of advice or am able and willing to help them with something difficult. In game, I’m sure that this ability could translate well: I’m the quiet, shy person in the background that comes up with the strategy to take down the largest threat in the game. Keen perception. That’s what makes me a threat in this game, and what I hope will earn me the title of the Ultimate Survivor. Strength helps, and openness can earn you friends, but anyone can be taken down by the right combination of strategy, foresight, and perceptiveness.

Finalist Essay

Why I stand out... I suppose my race is the most obvious, as well as my play style and personality. And how many Filipinos are you going to find with a Southern accent? Besides having a couple unique talents, such as music playing and orgami that could be interesting on the island, I also feel that I'll be a fun player for the strategically-minded viewers to watch as I tinker and toy with alliances from the background.

Post-Game Links (spoilers)

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