Dan Nudel

Dan Nudel was born in New Haven, Conn. where he grew up with three other siblings and went to Amity High School. After graduating from Prescott College in Prescott, Ariz., he became a therapist at the Brookline Center and now lives in Roslindale with his dog. He also enjoys spending time outdoors and taking walks. Here at the high school, Mr. Nudel is a Clinical Coordinator for BRYT (Bridge for Resilient Youth in Transition), a program to help students who have missed a significant amount of school transition seamlessly back into their everyday routine.

Did you always know you wanted to do work with students?

No, for college I graduated from a tiny school where most people major in adventure education and do jobs like leading backpacking and whitewater rafting trips, which I thought I wanted to do. But then, I decided it was not meaningful enough to me, and so I took the therapeutic route.

What motivated you to work for BRYT?

Before this, I worked as a therapist with all ages and I slowly learned that I enjoyed my time the best when I was working with high school students. I did some in-school visits at this high school and at different Brookline elementary schools. I knew I liked the school environment, but I wanted to see what it would actually be like to be a part of the school environment. I also really like school hours and vacations.

What do you like to do outside of school?

I like taking walks with my dog in the various Boston green spaces, especially the Arboretum. I like taking bike rides, hiking, and backpacking, which I did a lot of over the summer in Mexico. I also spent a lot of time in the White Mountains in New Hampshire. I am trying to climb all 48 of the 4,000-foot mountains. I only have climbed eight out of the 48.

What advice would you give to your high school self?

I would remind myself to care more about the things worth caring about like having strong healthy connections with friends and family, and also to care less about the things not worth caring about, like the difference between an A- and a B+ or what college I will eventually end up at.

What do you find most rewarding about working with high school students?

I find you guys are at a time in your life where you are old enough to think about the world and your place in it and what sort of people you want to be. So I find it rewarding to help folks in high school learn to navigate what sort of person they want to be in the world and teach them that it is something they can decide for themselves and it is not predetermined.