The Sky's the Limit with Motivation, Innovation & Collaboration

Last April, Darlington senior Rostam Zafari ('14) gave an inspiring senior speech in which he challenged his peers: "For the first time we, the youth of the world, have the knowledge and the power to change our reality ... We have the power, the opportunity and the resources to change the world. The only question that remains then is do we have the guts? I think we do." (Click here to see the full video.)

In less than eight months, Zafari is already making a big difference. His REDS (Rapid Ebola Detection Strips) project made news earlier this year as mortality rates from the deadly virus continued to escalate in Africa. He and his classmate, Brian Goldstone, raised over $14,500 on crowdfunding website indigogo.com to launch phase I of their project, which will result in a kit that can detect Ebola in a portable, inexpensive and user-friendly way. (Click here to watch Zafari's YouTube video about REDS.)

Now, Zafari and Goldstone, pre-med students at Emory University, have been invited to join the impressive line-up of speakers at the Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce's Confluence Rome conference Feb. 19-20, 2015. They will share the stage with people like Kaynam Hedayat of WiTricity and Alexandr Opalka of Motion Savvy — both of whom appear on Time magazine’s list of Top 25 Innovators for 2014; 3D prosthetics designer Jeremy Simon, CEO and president of 3D Universe; and Jerome Vassallo of Elio Motors, who has a car that exceeds 80 miles per gallon slated for production in 2015, to name a few.

As I thought about this incredible opportunity for Rostam, three things became very clear to me:

1. Darlington's mission of empowering students to learn with passion, act with integrity, and serve with respect is alive and well. These values continue to guide our students long after they leave our gates, and for that we are proud. Rostam is one of the many, many Darlington Tigers who are making a difference in their communities, and our world will be a better place because of them.

2. Young people are amazing and inspiring. We talk a lot in education about 21st Century skills and how to prepare our students for jobs that don't even exist yet. The key is equipping them with the ability to think critically, solve problems, collaborate, communicate, innovate... the list goes on. Young people can, will and are doing incredible things for our world. The future is bright thanks to people like Rostam.

3. Let it be known that Rostam Zafari makes good on his promises. When Rostam gave his senior speech last year, there was incredible buzz in our community. Not just because he was articulate and inspiring. But because he made us THINK. Students, teachers and parents alike were thinking and talking, not just about Rostam's speech, but about what we could do in our own lives to rise to his challenge. (The truth is, we already knew that this young man would do big things and we couldn't wait to see what he would tackle first.)

Darlington is proud of you, Rostam. Thank you for inspiring your peers, your teachers, and your entire community. Your Darlington family can't wait to see what else your future holds.

Admission to Confluence Rome is $50 for Chamber members, $75 for non-members and $30 for students. More information is available at www.confluencerome.org and on the Confluence Rome Facebook page.