Countdown to Commencement 2025: Jenna Hoffman

Each year, faculty and staff nominate members of the graduating class for “Countdown to Commencement,” a video series which recognizes the accomplishments of soon-to-be-alumni of the University. Fisher News Highlights features a student every week of the spring semester, as we countdown to the Commencement celebrations in May.

The first student to be featured is Jenna Hoffman, an inclusive childhood education and English major. She was nominated by Dr. Jonathan Shelley, assistant professor of English.

During her time at Fisher, Hoffman has served as the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. School of Education senator for the Student Government Association, president and founder of the University’s Club Basketball team, president of the Teacher Education Student Association (TESA), and secretary for Best Buddies. She is also a student ambassador, a member of the CORE team for the Office of Admissions, and a Service Scholar.

“The number of leadership roles Jenna has taken on is incredibly impressive, and in those roles, she really does have her eye toward creating organizations and opportunities for other people,” said Shelley in his nomination.

Shelley recalled a time when he wanted to organize a trip to New York City with his Shakespeare class, which Hoffman was enrolled in, to see “Romeo & Juliet.” Hoffman took the initiative to research funding sources, drafted a budget, and created a proposal. In the end, they were not able to pull the trip together, but he said that her “fearlessness and tenacity” has inspired him.

“I can only imagine how many times Jenna has gone to these lengths for the leadership endeavors that have come to fruition,” he added.

Shelley also noted her “consistent drive” in his nomination, saying Hoffman has not been deterred by setbacks she faced academically or in her extracurricular activities. He said she is always willing to be vulnerable in the classroom, and applauded how she lobbies on behalf of the groups she leads in order to find solutions that meet their needs. Finally, he called her “one of the strongest literary analytical minds of her cohort of English majors.”

Hoffman is looking forward to what is next in her life after Fisher.

“I hope to be an inspiring teacher to my future students and I think part of that is definitely guiding them into different community opportunities or thinking about their future. I think that directly correlates with the mission that I had throughout Fisher – just giving other students as well,” she said.

Shelley predicts that Hoffman will experience incredible success and a stellar reputation as a teacher to young people and says the school district that hires her will be “lucky to have her.”

“She is a tenacious, responsible leader who does the kind of work that is necessary for really carrying groups and institutions. She is the kind of person that every institution needs and deserves but doesn't always have: someone who, through their dedication and attention, keeps things going and keeps things together,” he said.