Ennis ’25 Will Carry Hope for Community to Teach For America Role

“The friendships and acquaintances that we build here are what really jumped out to me,” said the math and sociology double concentrator from New York, N.Y. “When I think of the Hamilton community, there really is this blanket and pervasive kindness that is really palpable on campus. We don’t think about it every day because it’s like the air we breathe, but it really is something special.”

Ennis participated in three rounds of voting and interviews before being selected as class speaker.  Now, she will carry her message on the importance of community into her career as a teacher through Teach for America. 

Ennis will now focus on teaching fourth grade at Neighborhood Charter in Harlem, N.Y. The school specializes in education for children with disabilities and special needs. As she prepares for her new role, Ennis plans to bring her experiences with Hamilton’s community service programs into her classroom. 

Ennis’ leadership positions as the co-leader of HAVOC and the senior education fellow for Hamilton’s Community Outreach and Opportunity Project (COOP) have prompted her to think critically about education. “Working with these organizations has helped me consider how we are structuring these programs, how we are currently serving kids, and how we can be better. … I feel like I learn just as much from my in-person interactions with the kids as I teach them,” she said. 

Although Ennis knows being a new teacher will come with its share of challenges, she is confident her experience at Hamilton will translate into her classroom, where she will likely teach math. “I’ve really felt what it means to have a great math teacher because that’s what made me start to like math, having those great teachers and professors. So, I hope that I can help a few kids fall in love with math because it can be really fun and beautiful.”

Reflecting on Hamilton’s strong sense of community, Ennis will also draw on those experiences in her classroom. “[The sense of community] is also in all those little moments where people hold the door for you or wave ‘hi,’ so I’m really trying to echo those. I thought about how we can take what we’ve learned from being a community like this into the world and how we can lead with an open mind.”

Ennis helped honor the strong sense of community she felt at Hamilton by creating a group chat for the senior class. “I think that’s part of what makes Hamilton so special, having that extended community. So, I thought [the group chat] would be a nice way to connect with each other. Just having that togetherness is something that I’m going to really miss about Hamilton; that sense that even though all 500 of us are not best friends, we are all still connected,” she said.