Committing to servant-leadership in the community and classroom

Daara Jalili ’17, ’19 M.Ed.

Firefighter, Marin County Fire Department

MAJOR: NEUROSCIENCE AND BEHAVIOR | MASTER OF EDUCATION: ALLIANCE FOR CATHOLIC EDUCATION

From teaching to firefighting to spending time with friends, Daara Jalili’s capacity to care for others makes him a true servant-leader. Whether it is in his high school classroom or on the fireground, Jalili approaches his chosen vocations with integrity and humility. 

After earning his undergraduate degree from Notre Dame in 2017, Jalili taught high school math and science at Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary High School through Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education program. He was blessed with a loving and caring school community that helped him make his classroom a place of learning, listening, and love. To this day, he keeps in touch with many of his students, serving as a listening ear and mentor when called upon. 

After his time in Southern California, Jalili returned to his home of Northern California in 2019. While teaching at Cardinal Newman High School in Santa Rosa, Jalili witnessed firsthand the effects of California’s devastating wildfires. Compelled to act, he began serving as a volunteer firefighter in Sonoma County, which he continues to do today. As the COVID-19 pandemic surged throughout the Bay Area in 2020, Jalili was drawn further toward the fire service’s ideal of service through action. His love of the natural places and people of his home state inspired him to pursue a career as a firefighter. 

As a member of a 20-member fire crew, Jalili currently works locally and statewide to assist in suppressing wildland fire. Fueled by the love of his work, Jalili and his crewmates contribute to local fuel management projects and other fire prevention activities when they are off-duty. Regardless of the nature of the call or assignment, Jalili seeks to live out his values of preparedness, integrity, service, and respect. Despite his rigorous and demanding lifestyle, he invests time and energy into keeping in touch with Notre Dame friends and professors.