Senior Anaya Desai was selected as Darlington School's nominee for the Rome Noon Optimist All-Around Student of the Year.
"Anaya Desai embodies Darlington's motto, 'wisdom more than knowledge, service beyond self, honor above everything,' as a scholar-athlete, a servant leader and an honorable community member," said Ivy Brewer, dean of college guidance and Desai's college advisor. "She has earned a high A average while taking eight honors courses and 13 Advanced Placement courses. She has been a varsity tennis team member all four years and is a member of Darlington's championship Robotics team, the DarBots. As the DarBots' Outreach Manager, she has served the greater Rome community youth through robotics camps. President of the Honor Council, Anaya holds herself and the members of the Darlington community accountable for honorable behavior. Anaya was selected as Darlington's nominee for the Rome Noon Optimist Student of the Year nomination in the All-Around category with the utmost enthusiasm!"
A day student who has been enrolled at Darlington since fourth grade, Desai has taken 21 Honors and AP classes. She serves as president of the Honor Council and the School Spirit Club, a Tiger Expert, Advancement Ambassador and is a member of the DarBots robotics team and the Student Activites Committee. She tutors her peers as a Writing Center and AMP tutor. She is also a member of the varsity tennis team.
Desai serves as a volunteer and project initiative leader at the Boys and Girls Club, where she works with students to introduce basic robotics concepts and design thinking skills. She also serves as a robotics camp counselor during the summer. In addition to working at her family's retail business, Desai runs her own small business making and selling jewelry, which won first place in the productivity business design category at the 2018 State Technology Competition.
She is the recipient of two AP Scholar awards, two citizenship awards, an E.L. Wright academic award and the Pillar Award for the varsity tennis team. She was inducted into the National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society and Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica, the Spanish Honor Society.
The daughter of Nirali and Minesh Desai, Anaya will be attending Georgia Institute of Technology this fall.
The top three All-Around Student of the Year nominees will be announced on April 12 and will be honored at a banquet on Tuesday, April 25.
