“Tenacious.”

“One of Hamilton’s finest students and citizens.”

“Part cyborg.”

“A superhero.”

“A once-in-a-lifetime type of friend.”

These are just a few of the ways in which Hamilton community members describe Eleni Neyland ’18. And yet, one image — of Neyland presenting her government honors thesis in her lacrosse uniform, mere minutes after her final game on the Hill — serves to best embody her interests, as well as her passion and unwavering dedication to simply being the best at everything she does. A Boxborough, MA native, Neyland will serve as the class of 2018’s student Commencement speaker. A committee comprised of six students selected Neyland out of a group of finalists.

Why did Neyland want to be the class speaker? “Because I got nominated,” she tells me. “I hadn’t really thought about it before I was nominated, but once I was, a number of people from different parts of my life at Hamilton all suggested that I go for it. Once I started thinking about what I’d say, I became excited about the opportunity to address the class.”

An exemplar in modesty, Neyland is hesitant not only about being the subject of a front-page

Spectator

article, but about sharing her achievements, as plentiful as they may be.

“Honestly, the best case scenario would be me writing, but not delivering the speech,” she says seriously. “I’m really uncomfortable with being the face of the speech — and being the subject of this article. I just hope the message resonates with the class.”

Neyland has previously worked for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign, Congresswoman Niki Tsongas (D, MA-3), President Barack Obama’s White House, and, most recently, the Eleonas Refugee Camp in Athens, Greece. Hidden amongst posts from adoring friends and family members, one of Neyland’s most recent Facebook profile pictures is with Hillary Clinton, while former First Lady Michelle Obama appears in one of her cover photos. The Obamas’ former “First Dogs” — Sunny and Bo — make a cameo in another.

On the Hill, in addition to playing both field hockey and lacrosse as a forward and goalkeeper, respectively, Neyland has led Orientation and Alternative Winter Break trips, given tours for the Office of Admissions, served as a Senior Advisor for the Hamilton Association for Volunteering, Outreach, and Charity, and as a Senior Fellow for the College’s Community Outreach and Opportunity Project (COOP).

While Neyland may wish otherwise, the campus community recognizes her (over)commitment. Neyland herself jokingly admits that her “unsustainable lifestyle,” as she calls it, has taken a toll.

“The seniors on the field hockey team call ourselves the ‘geriatrics unit,’” she says. “And truly, nothing has ever been more accurate.”

Patty Kloidt, head coach of the women’s lacrosse team, offers nothing but praise when I ask her about Neyland. “Leni has graciously given herself to many facets of campus life,” she tells me. “There are numerous people who have been blessed by Leni’s leadership whether it be in the classroom, on an athletic field or within community service events. She has tremendous insight about our college and the world. Leni is so well-loved by her peers, teammates, faculty, and campus administrators.”

“She leaves a legacy of being one of Hamilton’s finest students and citizens,” Kloidt offers. “Plus, she has one of the best laughs this campus has heard in a number of years!”

Melissa Mariano, head coach of the field hockey team, echoes Kloidt’s praise. “Eleni is the epitome of all things you hope to see in a Hamilton College graduate,” she tells me. “Her kindness, spirit, and infectious personality are an addition to her exceptional abilities in the classroom and in her extracurricular endeavors. Her work ethic and leadership are an inspiration to her peers and to the younger students on campus.”

“Eleni has touched so many lives during her time here at Hamilton,” she says. “I can only imagine how many others she will influence in her bright future.”

Combining her community service and sporting passions, Neyland, in 2015, along with Kate Kreider ’18, founded the Strong Girls project, which

The Spectator

profiled in its March 29 issue.

Neyland was quoted in the article as saying, “It’s not a coincidence that beauty standards and gendered expectations start to really kick in at the same time that women start to drop out of sports. We want to fight that.”

This impetus — to fight — is descriptive of Neyland’s attitude towards academia, volunteering, athletics, and professional pursuits. Her own capabilities often render her genuinely confused by peers who cite busyness as impeding their own community service, athletic, or academic pursuits. She has repeatedly chastised me for my own lacking volunteerism — a lack based upon my own supposed time constraints. “You have time!”, she has (rightly) told me, repeatedly.

“I’m actually not convinced Leni is 100 percent human,” says Conor O’Shea ’18, a classmate and friend of Leni’s. “Between all the academic, community service, and athletic commitments she has, she may be part cyborg. Leni is just a powerhouse through and through.”

Aly Skelly ’18, Neyland’s suitemate and field hockey teammate, describes her friend in similarly-superhuman terms. “Eleni C. Neyland is the hardest working, most courageous and selfless person I know,” she says. “She’s legit a straight up superhero.”

Unlike many, her superhuman nature fails to impede on her ability to be a compassionate friend. “Leni is a once-in-a-lifetime type of friend,” says Lucy Munves ’19, whose first-year orientation trip Neyland co-led. “I owe my entire Hamilton experience to her — she has inspired me from day one with her steadfast spirit and unfailing kindness.”

“Her work ethic, ambition, and warmth has made her the kind of person that I have spent the last three years looking up to, and likely will for the rest of my life,” Munves adds. “I believe that Leni encapsulates the best of the College, and we have all been so lucky to have her here for the past four years.”

After listening to me read this litany of praise from friends and coaches, Neyland blushes, quickly and not-so-subtly redirecting the conversation to offer a preview of her speech.

“Each person in our graduating class has had a unique experience at Hamilton and each will have a different path going forward, but we’re all connected by passion and ability, across countless fields,” she says. “The speech hopes to inspire our class to be their best selves and to remind them to give back along the way.”

While sharing personal information is not her strong suit (“My worst fear is writing a personal essay, and this interview comes concerningly close,” she says), she lights up when I ask about her Hamilton experience.

“These past four years have been the craziest, most amazing series of adventures I could have ever imagined,” she tells me. “The people I’ve met here and the incredible opportunities I’ve had have been truly life-changing.”

After graduation, Neyland will remain in the Clinton, NY area, working as a Constituency Organizer on Anthony Brindisi’s (D, NY-22) campaign for U.S. Congress.

Fittingly, although her thesis is due Friday, she began working for Anthony Brindisi’s campaign this past week. On Monday, she sneaks out of the Government department resource room early in the afternoon so she can drive to New Hartford and spend the rest of her night phonebanking for the campaign. “Having spent so much time volunteering in the greater Utica community over the past four years, working for positive change on the political front feels right,” she tells me.

Following the November Congressional election, Neyland will move to Malaysia for the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Program.

“Working in the refugee camp this past summer, my most meaningful teaching and coaching experiences stemmed from working with a group of kids who spoke a dozen different languages and came from a dozen different countries. I’m excited to work with kids in Malaysia, an ethnically and religiously diverse country,” she beams, slyly adding, “the Malaysia program also conveniently starts after the 2018 election cycle ends.”

While Neyland avoids bragging of her White House, Congressional, or campaign trail exploits, she is noticeably proud of her work at the refugee camp. If you want to make her smile, you’ll ask about her summer in Athens.

This pride seeps onto social media, as she captions her most recent profile picture — of her, with a temporary henna tattoo drawn onto her hand and upper wrist by a 13-year-old Pakistani girl, at the refugee camp — with her own life manifesto. Framed around securing donations for those in Greece less fortunate than her, Neyland not only asks her social media network for charitable assistance, but modestly and incidentally informs them of her own purpose in life.

“Why should you send money to a faraway place when you have student loans or a family to support? Because each day at the camp I was reminded of a quote I first heard in Michelle Obama’s speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention: ‘There but for the grace of God go I,’” she writes, answering her own question.

As she has repeatedly indicated to me throughout our time together, Neyland, rather than celebrate her own achievements in the professional, academic, and athletic realms, including her selection as Commencement speaker, would genuinely prefer the focus be others, both at home and across the globe, who, in her eyes, are more deserving of the spotlight.

“I’m incredibly grateful for my time at Hamilton and I fully intend on using everything I’ve learned here to make life better for others,” she tells me, grinning.

“That’s the whole ballgame.”