New York Councilman Robert Cornegy and Jean Alerte Award ‘Do Right, Do Good’ Scholars

Daniel Pottinger

Daniel Pottinger, a Jamaica, Queens native, is a recent graduate of Benjamin N. Cardozo High School. Faced with the many challenges associated with entering a vastly different social and academic environment, Pottinger took the initiative by campaigning to become president of his freshman class. In his sophomore year of high school he competed against seniors when he enrolled in an entrepreneur program. By constantly staying focused, doing a lot of research, and refusing to be intimidated, he was able to present the best business plan, win the competition, and even bring his plan into fruition after completion of the program. His company, Elite Entertainment NYC, for which he is CEO, finds safe locations and venues in New York City for teens to gather and have fun.

Pottinger’s active membership with the Glamour Gals Cardozo High School Chapter during his junior and senior years is another testament to the strength of his character and how much he embodies the principles of Do Right, Do Good. His main experience with Glamour Gals was visiting different senior citizen centers throughout Queens spending the day entertaining and bonding with the elderly and also giving them beauty makeovers. His inspiration behind wanting to help the elderly: the passing of his beloved grandmother who left a wonderful legacy of always positively impacting the lives of others. A blog entry on the GlamourGals website entitled, “An Extraordinary GlamourGals Volunteer: Daniel Pottinger,” quotes Daniel explaining, in part: “Whenever I would go to visit [my grandmother], I would always do everything for her, without even thinking twice … She would tell me so many different stories about growing up, her childhood, her experiences. It would always be something that showed me a life lesson: how to be a young man, how to do things just because it’s right, not because you’re getting something out of it.”

By the end of the blog entry, one is truly left with an impression of what a passionate and motivated young man Pottinger is, and of his innate ability to blaze his own path. Despite being a well-respected member of the wrestling team, he got flak from some of his male peers for his choice to provide manicures and other beauty related services to the elderly in his community, but he went with what he felt was the best way to make a difference while honoring the memory of his grandmother.

This fall, Pottinger embarks on the journey to college, where he plans on studying business management and accounting.