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Although he plays Cookie, the nerdy yet careless and accident-prone teen on "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide" (Nickelodeon), you can learn a lot from 14-year-old  

DANIEL CURTIS LEE

  in real life.

Lesson 1: Turn Envy Into Drive
When older brother Nathaniel became an actor, Daniel was struck with the acting bug. "There has always been sibling rivalry between us," recalls the high school football linebacker. "I look up to him, so I sometimes want to follow in his footsteps."

Daniel would tag along with his brother on auditions, and find himself inadvertently pulled into casting directors' offices and offered parts. To refine his acting skills, Daniel enrolled in various workshops and landed guest spots on "First Monday" and "The Shield."

Lesson 2: What Not to Do
It wasn't long before Daniel nabbed the role on the hit Nickelodeon show that gives kids tips on how to survive junior high."I play a kooky kid who thinks he's the coolest -- only he's not," Daniel explains. "Even though the point of the show is to give students advice, Cookie always messes up what he's trying to accomplish."

For example, Cookie devises an invention to keep himself awake during class using some sort of electric shock treatment. (Teens, don't try this at home!) As always, Cookie's buds have to save him when his invention goes bonkers.

"Cookie's really naive and that's how a lot of middle school students are," says Daniel, who's now officially in high school. "Teens out there can learn from Cookie's mistakes."

Lesson 3: Real-Life Advice
Even though Daniel practically works full time as an actor, he's not skipping out on an education. Not only does he have on-set tutors, Daniel is also home-schooled, and plans to return to high school in the fall.

From one student to another, Daniel advises you do your best to set yourself apart in the classroom. "You might complain, 'I don't want to do homework', but be serious," he counsels. "Listen to your teachers. You want to have a good chance [to] go further than the rest. School is your vehicle."

Daniel's taking that code to higher ed.' "Of course I'm going to college!" he exclaims. "It's like high school -- everyone has to go." Although it's too soon to tell -- about three years early -- the Mississippi native already has a list of schools he's considering: Grambling State University (Grambling, LA), where his mom attended; Alcorn State University (Alcorn State, MS), where his dad attended; and University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA), close to his new home.


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Ysolt Usigan is a frequent contributor to The CollegeBound Network. Learn more about finding a school that's right for you.

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