Welcome to Episode 41 of The Darlington Podcast!
In this Darlington Connects episode, host Avery Cypress ('14, LD '20) of the Admission Office connects with former classmate Ali Kayahan ('14) during a recent trip to Ali's home in Istanbul, Turkey. Ali shares his Darlington story, talks about his college experience and career path, and provides valuable advice for young entrepreneurs.
Ali and his partners founded Ottodsg, a furniture design manufacturing and international trade company, in January 2021 in the midst of the pandemic, but they've been working to materialize it since 2020. He holds a B.S. in Architecture from State University of New York at Buffalo, where he also minored in Urban Planning. Upon returning to Istanbul, Ali worked in architecture and freelance design before becoming a visual merchandiser for IKEA, an opportunity that sparked his passion for the furniture industry and taught him critical skills that set him on the path to start his own small business. Now, he spends his time focusing on product development and marketing for Ottodsg, which sells products in Turkey, the United States and, soon, the rest of the world.
Every member of the Darlington Community has countless Darlington connections, especially in the work world. By supporting each other's careers and life goals, we are better connecting our students, alumni, parents, parents of alumni, and grandparents.
Click here to read more about how to get involved in Darlington Connects and email connect@darlingtonschool.org with questions.
The Darlington Podcast is a collaboration between the communication and advancement teams, and is hosted by various members of the school community. Episodes are released each Thursday morning and available on most podcast platforms (search for The Darlington Podcast in your podcast player). Once new episodes are posted, you'll also be able to find them at www.darlingtonschool.org/podcast. Please subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts so that you'll get the latest episode each week!
The Darlington Podcast intro music was written and performed by Elliot Luitwieler ('22) and Kathryn Davidson ('22). Katie Merritt, media arts teacher, lends her voice, and editing and production is handled by Tannika King, director of communications.
If you have ideas for future episodes or have any questions about The Darlington Podcast, please email communications@darlingtonschool.org.
