Why and How We Give
AMACHIE ACKAH ’90 & CARRA COTE-ACKAH P ‘28 ‘29 ‘30
When Tim Kent, Hon. retired from the faculty in 2020—after 37 years of teaching classics and coaching, including 10 Inter-Ac titles in squash and tennis—he left an enduring legacy. It carries on to this day in the students whose lives he helped transform, including a young Amachie Ackah ’90.
”His profound influence on me can’t be overstated,” says Ackah, among the first Latin students “Magister Kent” taught in the 1980s. ”Mr. Kent was the one who saw potential in me in a way that had never been articulated before. He made me feel proud of my work and got me so engaged and engrossed that I wound up being a classics major all the way through my B.A. from Williams.”
Although Ackah would leave EA before graduating, this teacher-student bond solidified a connection to his first alma mater and sustained a relationship that has since yielded a true-blue family.
Ackah and his wife, Carra Cote-Ackah, chose EA for their three children, who are rising 5th, 6th, and 7th graders, and both have served the school in numerous volunteer leadership capacities. Ackah has been a Trustee since 2016.
”What EA does exceptionally well is modeled behavior,” he observes. ”Here I gained a lifelong love of learning that I took from Middle School through to my MBA and then a career. When we look at what our school is now doing with faculty through the Center for Teaching and Learning, it’s the same thing. They are modeling the best ways of teaching. Our faculty are continuously improving and honing their skills.”
”We have three kids who are different types of learners,” adds Cote-Ackah. ”They have very different needs, but we’ve still found EA is the best fit for each one. It’s because of the teachers’ ability to customize learning for them. That is not an easy thing to do.”
The family’s confidence in EA has also motivated several leadership gifts to Shape Tomorrow through The Episcopal Fund and unrestricted endowment giving, which reflect more than just a love of the school.
”We trust EA’s leadership,” Cote-Ackah explains. ”Unrestricted giving is important to empower great institutions with flexible capital. EA’s leadership is best positioned to know where and how to allocate philanthropic dollars to drive the best student and community outcomes. We’re delighted to support the school’s priorities.”
