Daniel Aaron Aldridge was born in Mitchell, South Dakota, and moved to Howard before finally settling in Madison at the age of two. He has a family of 5, including two older sisters named Hannah and Elizabeth. A fun fact about the Aldridge family is that Daniel is the only person in the family to have lived in South Dakota his whole life. The rest have lived either in North Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, or Nebraska. A few of Daniel's favorite things are the color purple, wolves, and his running shoes. One of his biggest fears is being trapped in the ocean, all alone, without being able to see the bottom. Daniel lives by the quote, “If it isn’t hard, it isn't good for you.” And his advice to underclassmen is to “Stay out of drama and find a passion that you can build off.” One of Daniel's favorite memories so far is competing in the Auggie Twilight Cross Country Meet.
In his free time, Daniel enjoys a variety of activities, ranging from running and working to watching TV or simply doing nothing. In school, Daniel is very interested in human anatomy because he finds the human body fascinating. One of his favorite TV shows is The Flash; if given the opportunity, Daniel would have the powers of The Flash. If he could live anywhere in the world, he would choose the mountains because he loves the scenery and being outdoors. Daniel recommends watching the movie The Gray Man and eating at one of his favorite restaurants, Texas Roadhouse.
Throughout his high school career, Daniel has been a lifeguard and swim instructor at the outdoor pool in Madison. The most rewarding part of these two jobs, in his eyes, is being able to save lives and watch the kids grow in their swimming ability. In the future, Daniel plans to become either an athletic trainer or an exercise physiologist. Within the next ten years, he plans to run for Northern State University, graduate from college, work his dream job, get engaged, and potentially start a family. Beyond his professional aspirations, Daniel anticipates an active future with the hopes of being able to go rock climbing in the mountains, bungee jump, and run both a marathon and ultra-marathon.