Reporter Bio: Dainard Ortiz

Dainard Ortiz was born on June 21, 2008 in Brooklyn, New York. He attended Public School 91 Elementary and PSIS 119 Middle School  in New York. For a short time, he went to an American Sign Language specialized school, but then he dropped out when he didn’t want to learn sign language anymore. In early 2023, he moved from New York to Pennsylvania with his parents, three sisters, and brother. Now, Ortiz is a senior who has been going to Fleetwood Area Highschool since his sophomore year. When asked about his favorite year of high school so far, he said that freshman year was his favorite because it was the easiest year to get through. He is planning to go to college at either Penn State University or Kutztown University for history-related education. Ortiz wants to be a historian when he grows up and work in a few museums; this falls right in line with his passion for ancient and older time periods. He really enjoys Medieval Europe and Ancient Egypt. Ortiz says that, if he were to be living in Medieval Europe, he would want to be a blacksmith in a small town but also mentioned that he would most likely die of cholera at a young age because of the fast spreading of diseases back then.

Ortiz has hobbies pretty similar to many teenagers in the 12th grade, such as playing video games, listening to music, and reading literature. What makes his simple interests complex are the memories attached to them. As for video games, Ortiz likes Fallout: New Vegas and Fortnite. In January 2025, Ortiz had experienced one of his most prized memories of the past few years while playing Fortnite. He met his best friend, Atticus, online while playing on the same team, they’ve been close ever since then. Ortiz has a unique taste in music and finds joy in exploring the sounds of contrasting, melodious instruments in his tunes. Some of his favorite artists include David Bowie, King Crimson, Marilyn Manson, and Pink Floyd. His favorite short story is I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream (1967) by Harlan Ellison because of its parallels with life today and the jarring ending it has.

By Natalie Dawson