What is value? That is a question I was asked at Kennesaw State University by a marketing professor trying to prove the point that the value of a product or service should not be perceived as a monetary number but rather how the consumer perceived the benefit of a product or service. Point taken. Point proven.
On my recent trip to San Francisco, after attending the Town School for Boys Boarding School Fair, I came across a stranger and struck up a conversation - a skill that I learned while attending Darlington. Little did I know, this stranger knew more about me than I could have imagined. He knew about a place that had impacted my life in such a way that I returned to give the same opportunity to others that I had been given. Let me tell you about this conversation with the stranger, though.
This stranger and I shared a trip to the airport after each of us returned the rental cars we had obtained. On this trip, we began discussing where I lived, which obviously is Rome, Ga. – to which I noted, not a lot of people know where Rome is located. Well it turns out this man knew exactly where Rome is. It actually hit closer to home when I asked him how he knew of Rome, to which he answered, “One of my co-workers actually lived there.”
Naturally my response was, “Oh, do you know if he went to Darlington School then?” (I promise this story is going somewhere.) My new friend quickly answered, “No, but his children did.” After further prying, I came to find out that this friend knew of our very own Caroline Clark (’06), Darlington's development coordinator, and her family through his working relationship with Caroline’s father. He knew all about Darlington through Mr. Clark and expressed how pleased he was to hear that a school could have such an impact within the community.
You see, through this story and this connection, a point was proven that Darlington’s value is not confined within the classroom but rather from the bridges that form and the skills taught when a student joins the Darlington family. This shows just one aspect of the value that Darlington affords the young adults that walk through its hallways, who live in its dorms, and who run on its fields. Never would I have imagined that sharing a ride to an airport on the other side of the country would have culminated into such an inspiring trip – but once again, Darlington proved me wrong in the best way possible.
It is great to know that even to a stranger in San Francisco who has never experienced Darlington but through the eyes of another, we are making an impact on our community by catalyzing extraordinary lives. Darlington, a place that I have always called home, has never ceased to impress me through the value of my experience here.
