Jahmeelah Nash-Fuller '16

“I remember sitting in class in the fourth grade, and my teacher gave us a presentation on the different types of high schools you can attend—public, Catholic, private, etc., and I wasn’t really paying attention until she mentioned the idea of attending a boarding school. I recall being so fascinated with the idea of being ‘independent’ and living on my own. I think I just wanted to be an adult. Fast-forward to visiting Eagle Hill, and I can only summarize it in this one phrase…home away from home.”

Jahmeelah Nash-Fuller ’16 knew from the moment she walked onto campus in Hardwick, Massachusetts, that Eagle Hill could be the perfect opportunity for her to grow as a student and a person. Like many, Nash-Fuller visited several boarding and preparatory schools before visiting EHS. Each school had its own positive features, but none of them had it.

“I was still looking for ‘the one,’ so my middle school advisor suggested that my family and I check out EHS. She described it as a place where they embraced learning (dis)abilities and thought I would do really well there. To this day, I can’t describe the feeling I felt when my mom and I showed up on campus.”

To Nash-Fuller, that feeling represented opportunity—something she continues to take full advantage of as a young professional and soon-to-be college graduate. One thing that has never been lacking in Nash-Fuller is the belief in herself. Combined with her self-confidence, Nash-Fuller credits Eagle Hill with pushing her to grow and build upon this foundation.

“Coming into Eagle Hill, I was already a student who believed in my ability to succeed but was missing some of the skills in order to do so. Faculty encouraged, assisted, and motivated me to be the best version of myself. It is where I learned how to challenge myself, how to hold myself and others accountable, form beliefs that I was able to defend, and, most importantly, learn to love and embrace myself.”

Finding her niche at Eagle Hill, Nash-Fuller was very proactive in being involved on campus, participating in several clubs, thriving in the classroom, and becoming one of the best student-athletes to ever come through Hardwick. A multisport athlete, Nash-Fuller is the only basketball player to score over one thousand points in her EHS career, highlighted on a banner that hangs proudly in the Ronald M. Baglio Sports and Fitness Center. Nash-Fuller recently came back to the Eagle Hill campus to visit faculty mentors and speak with the EHS girls basketball team before one of their workouts.

Jahmeelah Nash-Fuller

Since graduating from Eagle Hill, Nash-Fuller has literally been around the world and back, soaking in new cultures and expanding her worldview. Nash-Fuller recently graduated from Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia, majoring in women’s studies with a minor in education and has proudly presented her research internationally, played a few years of collegiate basketball, represented her class year in the school’s Honor Court, and attended multiple mission trips abroad, all during her four years. Even more impressively, Nash-Fuller has studied abroad in Milan, Italy, with trips to countries around the world, including Cuba, Germany, Czech Republic, United Kingdom, Croatia, Austria, France, Greece, Italy, Morocco, Spain, Switzerland, Netherlands, and Portugal.

Traveling around the world has provided for amazing and memorable experiences for Nash-Fuller, but her goal of being the best version of herself has remained the same.

Knowing this mission, Nash-Fuller has made it her long-term goal to assist in closing the achievement gap for first-generation and low-income students in the world, as well as to provide resources and opportunities to those who may not have access to them in their local communities.

A testament to her tremendous outlook on life and hard work, Nash-Fuller entered her senior year at Agnes Scott College in a favorable position—four job offers and acceptances to graduate schools. This position speaks to her determination and character, something that is often credited to Eagle Hill School in helping to shape.

“Eagle Hill students, buy into the mission statement, buy into the teachers, advisors, and administration at Eagle Hill, and everything they have to offer. Current and future students need to take advantage of every opportunity. Push yourself, set goals, and be patient with your growth as a student and young adult. I can tell you, if you’re ‘all in,’ you can and will succeed with what you want to accomplish.”

Nash-Fuller recently accepted one of her many opportunities to be a high school teacher at Uncommon Schools in Brooklyn, New York, and will begin her master’s degree in education. She will continue to serve the needs of students in her community and undoubtedly make an impact in their lives.

jahmeelah award

In 2020, Jahmeelah Nash-Fuller '16 won the Ubuntu Teaching Award at her high school, the first time a first-year teacher has won the award!