Academic Programs

Leadership & Development Academy

Strong leadership requires teamwork, communication, empathy, ideation, and flexibility. Develop these skills and create an actionable social impact project in our one-week Roxbury Latin Leadership & Development Academy (L&DA), led by Dario Zarrabian (Roxbury Latin ’15, Harvard ’19) and Shane O’Donoghue (Harvard ’20).

Throughout the week, students will learn to define leadership and reflect on their own leadership style through hands-on activities and interactive exercises (e.g., Leadership Olympics). In the first half of the program, attendees will participate in a Leadership Olympics, analyze case studies of current leaders, engage in outdoor team-building exercises, and utilize cutting-edge research to build confidence, develop problem-solving skills, cultivate creativity, and refine public speaking. In the second half of this program, small teams will design and develop social impact projects.

Each student will leave RL’s Leadership & Development Academy with a project that can be implemented in their own school or community, making an impactful change on their communities and others’ lives. From community social change projects to new extracurricular activities and startup ideas, this week at Roxbury Latin will provide students with the leadership tools, motivation, and confidence to make it happen.

The Instructors

Dario Zarrabian graduated from RL in 2015, where he played varsity baseball, basketball, and football in addition to serving as the vice president of his class. After RL, Dario attended Harvard and majored in Applied Mathematics and Psychology and minored in Educational Studies, in addition to teaching high school students in Micronesia and leading Harvard Leadership Institute’s Youth Lead the Change Program, where students around the world are exposed to leadership skills. Dario is currently a Manager of Strategy at Major League Baseball and Regional Director / Special Advisor to the Executive Committee of Inspire, a non-profit that provides consulting services to “build a better world by helping nonprofit organizations achieve breakthrough results.”

Shane O’Donoghue graduated from Regis High School in New York City (2016) where he was the captain of the varsity basketball and track & field teams and recipient of the Heitefuss Award as “Regis’s Most Outstanding Man.” After Regis, Shane attended Harvard where he majored in History and Literature and minored in Psychology and Spanish. Shane then served as the Sprague Stowe-Harvard Fellow at one of England’s premier boarding schools, where he taught mathematics and history; coached rugby, basketball, and lacrosse; and facilitated a leadership development seminar for students preparing for Oxford/Cambridge. Shane now runs a marketing agency for Harvard startups and doctors/health coaches.

If you have any questions about the academy, please don’t hesitate to email Dario at dario.zarrabian@gmail.com or Shane at shane.t.m.odonoghue@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

For: Grades 9-12

Weeks Available: August 15–August 19 (one week)

Time: 8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.

Cost: $699