
Forged by FAU - Eric Dansky
Wajih AlBaroudi
8/9/2020
#ForgedbyFAU
This series focuses on highlighting former student-athletes in an effort to share how their time, education and experience at FAU prepared them to be successful, and to bring those principles and ideas into the world every day.
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Eric Dansky fulfilled a childhood dream by running cross country at Florida Atlantic University, and his experience at the institution molded his life into what it is today.
An All-State runner from Davie, Florida, Dansky garnered significant college interest before accepting an athletic scholarship from nearby FAU. The offer and his decision to attend FAU, even then, impacted him profoundly.
“It meant everything to me,” said Dansky, who signed with FAU before the 2008 season. “One of my biggest goals as a child was to become a Division I student-athlete and a scholarship athlete, and the fact I was able to earn that scholarship made a tremendous difference in my life and it’s something I’m still proud of today.”
Dansky also made a difference for FAU. As a freshman, he recorded a 21:57.90 four-mile run to place sixth at the Miami Greentree Invitational. The Cypress Bay High product added a 17th-place finish at the Stetson Hatter Invitational.
By performing well throughout the 2008 campaign, Dansky earned scoring member status at the Sun Belt Conference Championship. That experience is still his most memorable as an FAU student-athlete.
“We definitely exceeded expectations as a team that year,” Dansky said, “and the fact that I was able to be a scoring member at such a young age, to have a big effect on the team is something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
Dansky had another unforgettable experience the ensuing offseason. As a rising sophomore, he represented Team USA at the 2009 Maccabiah Games, an annual event featuring the world’s top Jewish athletes. The heightened international stage didn’t faze Dansky: He finished fifth and sixth, respectively, in the 10,000 and 5,000 meter races.
The Games represented more than competition to Dansky, though. Through his experience, he grew “very close” with Smolka, who served as Team USA’s head coach, and gained a greater perspective for the Jewish faith by meeting some athletes from countries such as Australia and India.
“For me, it was probably the closest thing that I would get to being able to compete on the world stage and to getting that Olympic experience,” Dansky said. “And I think it was one of the most memorable experiences I’ve had in my life, on the athletic front.”
Dansky strengthened his commitment to Judaism at FAU. He took a leadership position with the university’s Hillel and joined Alpha Epsilon Pi, a Jewish fraternity. Those experiences, Dansky says, had a “major effect” on his professional career.
Now, Dansky is applying what he learned at FAU as the director of development, agencies and partnerships at the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County. He handles fundraising and development for places such as the Mandel Jewish Community Center of the Palm Beaches, Commission for Jewish Education, and the Meyer Preparatory school.
Dansky says his FAU experience led him to faith-based work, and the challenges he endured as a student-athlete continue to help now.
“I think my student-athlete experience has made me into the person I am today,” said Dansky, who earned both his bachelor’s (2012) and master’s degrees (2015) at FAU. “Whether it be the values that are instilled in my professional, my family life and personal life. Whether it be hard work, perseverance, time management, all the lessons I learned as a student-athlete are definitely applicable to what I do in my current life, today.”
That’s not everything Dansky got from FAU. He met his eventual wife and “all” his best friends there. Dansky also found a home, as he, his wife and two children are now Boca Raton residents and frequent Owls’ athletic event attendees.
By contributing to the Paradise Club, which helps fund athletic scholarships at FAU, Dansky believes the next generation will have a chance to benefit as much as he did from being an Owl.
“I think you’re making a difference in student-athletes’ lives,” Dansky said. “If it wasn’t for FAU, my life would be completely different. Not only my experience on the field, but in the classroom and as a general student at Florida Atlantic University. Really anything that I have, that I’m thankful for, is because of this university. And to give anybody an opportunity to get an education here and to have that on- and off-the-field experience is tremendous and is life-changing.”