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Taking Learning to the Next LevelDaniel Rosales Berstein ’12

Property Manager and Communications Associate, Next Level Rentals and Realty

The word “family” comes up a lot when Daniel Rosales-Berstein ’12 talks about his McLean School experience. “Everyone at McLean is invested in you beyond academics, the teachers care about you like family,” he says. “It gave me a lot of confidence to be myself and I would look forward to coming to school every day.”

This confidence carried him through high school and into college at Susquehanna University, where he majored in business/corporate communications and started his own property management company at 19 with his “real” family the summer after his freshman year and long before his graduation in 2016. Today, Dan works alongside his mom, brother, and wife Alisha running Next Level Rentals and Realty, building on the strengths and skills he tapped into at McLean: strategic problem solving, collaboration and communication, being able to assess and adapt to situations quickly, and an exceptional work ethic.

Dan arrived at McLean in grade 6 after being diagnosed with ADHD and years of struggle with school, friendships, and self-esteem. “I immediately felt like I was in a different world,” he says. “McLean prioritizes relationships and understands each student on an individual level. They help you understand yourself and how you learn, which is valuable not just with academics but in life, as well.”

And in the face of personal challenges, Dan appreciates that McLean was always more ally than adversary. “McLean never made me feel like a troublemaker or a failure,” he says. “It was more like ‘this is a speedbump, we’re going to work with you so you learn and not only don’t do it again, but grow from it.’ That’s extremely powerful.”

At Susquehanna, life continued to change for the better, not only because that’s where he met Alisha but also he leaned into his love of communications and writing and realized he could make a career of it. Dan went from undergrad straight to American University, where he earned a Master’s in Strategic Communication in 2018.

As a business owner, Dan’s days are long and full, but he finds the work very rewarding. “I love it because I get to talk to people all day, whether it’s landlords or tenants looking for the right rental. Being able to do this is a direct result of the confidence I got as a kid at McLean, no question.” Next Level recently acquired another company, nearly doubling their portfolio—and leaving Dan with little free time, which he makes the most of by going to the gym, cooking, and taking long dog walks with his two Samoyeds, Storm and Ghost.

Recently, Dan was invited to share about his experience at McLean’s Inside Out Conference, an opportunity for Middle Schoolers in grades 7 and 8 to hear from alumni about life and school beyond McLean, where he also got to catch up with some former classmates and teachers. The students in attendance did a writing exercise detailing their hopes, dreams, and plans for their future selves.

On the flip side, thinking back on his younger self, Dan remembers a kid low on happiness and confidence and a little lost: “I thought I was a slow learner and felt like I was always falling behind.” He knows now that this was not the case. Thanks to McLean, he says, he not only found himself, but also a career that brings him much joy and success. “It’s so much more than a school, it’s a family,” he reiterates. “That’s something I learned very quickly.”