When Jeniaya Amos graduated from Arundel High School in 2019, she was prepared to leave, but she was still sad because she was “leaving her people.” She would miss the friendly faces, the teachers, the smiles and the support she received.

Four years after walking off the dais at Carroll Stadium, Amos 22, returned last month to walk the emerald-green halls and teach the next generation of Wildcats. She was hired to teach a global community citizenship class, which introduces students to a range of cultures, values and traditions from across the world in an effort to boost inclusion and acceptance.

“I’m a firm believer in giving back to the people that helped mold you,” Amos said. “I know what it’s like to walk these Arundel halls, to be on Carroll Field on a Friday night. I’ve been there and witnessed that so why not come back?”

When Amos was around 10 years old, she moved to Odenton with her mother from Portsmouth, Virginia, following her parents’ divorce. Odenton Elementary School was a great introduction to the Anne Arundel County school system that would foster her drive to learn, she said. However, things took a turn when she entered middle school.

Amos was placed in the honors pathway at Arundel Middle School in 2012. But she soon noticed she was the only Black girl in her classes. She was surprised when teachers questioned if the work she turned in was hers because she received good marks on her assignments, she said.

“Honestly, I was shocked. I thought it was obvious that I was capable of producing that caliber of work,” Amos said.

During this time, Amos was involved in Arundel Middle’s Advancement Via Individual Determination, or AVID, college and career readiness program. The class focuses on study and organizational skills, time management, tutoring, as well as college and career exploration.

“Eventually, AVID did teach me how to advocate for myself,” she said, especially with teachers.

When Amos reached high school in 2015, she felt an instant connection to the school that she would carry with her beyond her years as a student.

As a freshman, Amos joined clubs, including Unified Tennis and Bowling. She was vice president of her class on the Student Government Association, and part of an equity committee that helped develop the class she now teaches, Global Community & Citizenship, which is a graduation requirement for all incoming freshmen in the school system.

After entertaining many career ideas, including child psychologist and physical therapist, Amos decided she wanted to be a teacher.

Due to her previous success in the program, Amos continued participating in AVID throughout her high school career. It became a place of refuge when her grandfather passed away toward the end of her sophomore year. During this time, the AVID Department had a lot of teacher turnover. Long-term substitute teachers were the norm that year until Amy Sherlock, the current AVID Department chair, was hired.

Amos felt “mentally checked out” after the loss of her grandfather and had a crisis of confidence regarding her goals.

“Ms. Sherlock stepped up to the plate more than any other teacher that I had,” Amos said. ““She stepped in and she saved me, like she really saved my life at that point in time, because I wasn’t able to do that by myself. Your parents can only do so much when you’re in the building. Those teachers, if they’re not there, then I could have fell by the wayside very quickly.”

In the following weeks, Amos traveled back and forth from Odenton to Portsmouth to be with her father’s family as they grieved and planned a funeral. In that time, Sherlock helped set up a learning plan with Amos’ teachers.

Her remaining high school years would be a blur — taking the SATs and working as a temporary support assistant for the school district during her senior year, she always made time to attend Arundel football and basketball games.

Amos was accepted to Towson University on a full academic scholarship. There, Amos interned in her home school district. At one point, she again started to question if education was really the right path for her.

Around December 2022, Amos reached out to Gina Davenport, principal of Arundel High School, another supportive person in her academic circle. She asked her former principal for advice on whether teaching was really what she was meant to do.

Amos wanted to be a role model for the kids she taught, Davenport said.

In response, Davenport said a job would be opening soon in her department to teach Global Community & Citizenship. Amos applied and got the job.

The first week as a new teacher went great, Amos said. Two kids had already told Amos that she was their favorite teacher.

“It really warmed my heart,” she said.

“This school year is off to a great start.”