Born and raised in Venezuela, Daniel Chang Contreras grew up seeing how his country decayed from relative prosperity to utter chaos, poverty, and authoritarianism under the socialist governments of Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro. In 2017, he did what more than 7 million of his countrymen did and fled the country that socialism destroyed.
In the United States, Daniel got a degree in Political Science and Economics from the University of South Florida and is now pursuing his Masters in Political Communication at American University. Daniel is a senior member of Politiks, a Venezuelan digital media outlet that counters the Maduro regime narrative. Daniel was also a contributor to El American, and his analysis has been published in outlets like the National Review, Americano Media, Real Clear World, and France 24, among others.
This event is brought to the students in part by, The Dissident Project. Their mission is to connect those with firsthand insights into authoritarianism with student audiences.
