OCA Intern Alum: Daniel Hoddinott
Interview by Jesse Wu and Skyler Murao / Written by Amelia Lagna, Cassie Micah, and Kent Tong
DANIEL HODDINOTT FIRST LEARNED ABOUT OCA while serving as the advocacy coordinator for the East Coast Asian American Student Union (ECAASU), a student-run nonprofit focused on Asian American leadership and advocacy. One of his mentors at ECAASU, who was friends with OCA staff, encouraged him to apply to the organization’s internship program. As a transracial and transnational adoptee from Chuncheon, South Korea, raised by his family in Connecticut, he sought opportunities to explore his Asian American identity more deeply—and OCA seemed like the perfect fit.
In the summer of 2014, he joined the OCA National Center as an intern, supporting the chapter and membership team. He helped strengthen chapter engagement, assisted in membership growth initiatives, and prepared chapters for the upcoming OCA National Convention in Los Angeles, California. Hoddinott valued connecting with Asian American Pacific Islander leaders and members at the convention and bonding more closely with his fellow interns; the event marked the internship cohort’s first and only extended time together since most were placed in different host offices.
After earning his B.A. in human resource management and labor and employment relations from Rutgers University and his M.S. in higher education from Syracuse University, Hoddinott began his career in student affairs. He served as a complex coordinator at The University of Texas at Austin, managing resident advisors and programming for over 700 residents. He later became assistant director of the Asian and Asian American Center at Cornell University, advising AAPI student organizations and providing holistic student support. He also served as interim assistant director for Cornell’s Multicultural Student Leadership and Empowerment Program, promoting inclusion and cross-cultural collaboration, and later as assistant director of Honors Residential Communities and Programming at the University of Connecticut, helping students build community and teaching a leadership course.
Now, as associate director of the Pan-Asian American Community House at the University of Pennsylvania, Hoddinott leads programs that help students explore AAPI identities while developing academically, personally, and professionally. He credits his OCA internship with broadening his understanding that there are so many people with different stories and experiences. “That’s carried into my work at Penn, where students come from all over the world,” he says. “Everyone has similarities, but their stories are vastly different.”
Daniel Hoddinott with three of his internship cohort members at the 2014 OCA National Convention in Los Angeles, CA
Ten years after his internship, Hoddinott returned to OCA when he learned that the annual National Convention would be held in Philadelphia. He joined the OCA - Greater Philadelphia chapter as its treasurer and helped organize the 2024 convention, which the chapter co-hosted. Inspired by the event’s success and wanting to give back to OCA, he ran for and was elected to OCA National’s executive council as vice president of education and culture. In this role, he develops and supports OCA’s educational and cultural programs—work that naturally aligns with his background in academic and student affairs.
As a transracial and transnational adoptee, Hoddinott is deeply passionate about adoptee rights. He is actively involved with Adoptees for Justice (A4J), which advocates for individuals adopted by American parents who were never granted citizenship due to gaps in U.S. law. The Child Citizenship Act of 2000 granted automatic citizenship to adoptees under 18 at the time but left thousands of adult adoptees excluded. This September, bipartisan members of Congress from both chambers reintroduced legislation to close this loophole. Earlier this year, he also helped organize a panel co-hosted by OCA, A4J, and the National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association to raise awareness of the mental health challenges faced by adoptees living without citizenship and at risk of deportation.
After stepping back from advocacy to focus on his professional career, Hoddinott’s return to OCA and A4J represents a new chapter. Having found stability in his career and life with his wife, he feels ready to reengage before starting a family. “I want my future kids to understand the importance of community-building, of connecting with people who look like them and those who don’t,” he says.
Though he doesn’t yet have children, Hoddinott’s mentorship of students across campuses already reflects his parental nature—many of whom he remains in touch with even after they’ve graduated. “The most meaningful part of my work has been helping students find purpose and a true sense of belonging during their time at the institution,” he says proudly. “Watching their journeys unfold reminds me why I do this work and how important it is to create spaces where students feel seen, supported, and empowered to define their own paths.”