Daniel Cubias-Arteaga ‘25 moved from choir rehearsal to theater rehearsal at Newman — on top of his goal of becoming a doctor.
When he first arrived on campus, his plan looked very different.
“Naive little me,” he said with a laugh. “Originally, my plan was to become a nurse first and then go on to med school and become a doctor; However, that would take a long time and be really unnecessary.”
As he learned more about his options, Cubias-Arteaga shifted to a biology major with a pre-medicine concentration, choosing a more direct path toward earning his M.D.
“At Newman, everything is centered on the human body,” he said. “That’s what I want to do — help people directly.”
A figure in choir and theater
Cubias-Arteaga was a part of both of Newman’s choirs, Chorale and Troubadours, as well as the Sloppy Joe Improv Troupe for all four years.
“In high school, I only did choir,” he said. “I thought that that’s how it was going to be here at Newman, but I got into Troubadours and one of my friends dragged me to a Sloppy Joe’s audition.”
Still, it wasn’t something he saw himself doing.
“I remember thinking, ‘I’m not a theater kid. I don’t do this,’ but honestly, it’s been some of the greatest moments of my life and a highlight of my career here at Newman,” he said.
What started as a leap outside his comfort zone turned into Cubias-Arteaga serving as captain of the improv group for three years. He even guided the group to a milestone achievement: earning Club of the Year by Student Life in 2024.
“Last year was pretty much my first year where I was the main captain, and I didn’t have other captains from the past helping me out,” he said. “We haven’t been able to get a Club of the Year in the past … so it really meant a lot.”
Alongside choir and Sloppy Joe performances, Cubias-Arteaga also acted in several Newman plays, making theater more prominent for him than he ever thought it would be.
“They brought me out of my shell,” he said of both choir and theater.
A first-generation graduate
For Cubias-Arteaga, this graduation held the weight of his family as a first-generation high school and college graduate of an immigrant family.
“They’ve been extremely supportive every step of the way,” he said. “I can’t say enough.”
Graduating also held the weight of his future career.
“For me, it means new steps,” he said. “It’s another step toward becoming a doctor.”
Since graduating, Cubias-Arteaga is taking a gap year to prepare for medical school at the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Wichita.
Newman’s music department
The Newman University music program forms students through the transformative power of music.
