December, 2025
By Giselle Rosas, Translation Editor
Despite being a recent addition to the Kipp Austin Collegiate instructors, Saliha Erenkol has already made an impact on the college and career pathways for the students. She applied her love for education to help students want more for themselves to achieve their ideal life goals. So, who is Ms. Erenkol and what brought her to KAC?
Due to her parents’ constant travels, Erenkol grew up generally all over the place. Although she was born in Istanbul, Turkey, she spent the first two years of her life in Siberia, Russia. She eventually spent six months back in Turkey before relocating to Oklahoma, where she stayed for three years. She soon moved to Arkansas, and began attending school there. However, In the third grade, she moved to Houston, Texas, where she remained until she was sixteen. After two years in Dallas, Erenkol relocated to Austin to attend college. She found it challenging to constantly move around a lot, but because she frequently became a new girl at school, she began to improve her social skills and build relationships with others. Despite attending four different high schools, she quickly adjusted to new environments.
She enrolled at UT Austin after graduating, initially intending to study marketing and advertising. Although she said it was enjoyable, she didn’t find it very fulfilling. She then decided to switch careers to be a college counselor since she had experience from her father being one as well. On one occasion, he asked her to select which students, along with their applications, would be placed on a waitlist and which would receive admission. She ended up getting it right, and she found it truly entertaining . Back in high school, she established a club called College Ambassadors, where she and her peers would discuss the value of education and even spoke with parents. Her experience on college advising fueled her drive for assisting students in making decisions about their futures.
She began searching for a job in college counseling shortly after graduating, but hardly any high schools were hiring for that position. Luckily, she kept in contact with her third grade teacher, who works at Kipp, asking to recommend her for the new position as a junior seminar instructor. She felt that it was impressive that Kipp offered students the opportunity to start preparing for college before they were even seniors. When asked about her main motivation for teaching, she responded, “I love working with children, especially first generation college students, because I am eager to assist them in reaching a point where their parents’ sacrifices have been rewarded. I want them to accomplish their best and have all of my support and advice, because I wish I had it when I was their age.” She has already won the comfort and support of many fellow students at Kipp Austin Collegiate by providing them guidance whenever they need it.
One of the most important things Ms. Erenkol wants those around her to know is her helpfulness, whether in academics or elsewhere. As she has lived by many challenges, she has also had to deal with a number of relationship changes. She’s the eldest of three siblings, so she has always been the older sibling figure and hopes to be the same for her students. When asked what impact she hopes to make on her students, she said, “I want them to be able to act on their dream lives and to be open about their goals. I want to teach kids to make active decisions and be active participants in their own lives. I don’t want things to be happening to them, I want them to make that difference and impact. They should be able to take control and put in the effort to want better for themselves.”
Regarding her future plans, she enjoys teaching but she may explore being an admissions officer in the years to come. She says she’d like to be on the opposite side of the college application process, but for now, she likes working with kids. In fact, she wishes to have kids of her own with the aim of helping them navigate their decisions and pathways. Ms. Erenkol has a variety of hobbies she loves doing including board games, shopping, decorating, and several arts and crafts. She has just become interested in rug crafting and aspires to learn more. This past summer, she attended sewing and dancing courses at ACC just for fun, and she intends to try woodworking or ceramics next. In addition to discovering new activities, Erenkol enjoys taking these classes, since they give her the opportunity to socialize and meet new people.
A lot of people are eager to see what Ms. Erenkol will bring to the atmosphere at KAC. We are confident that she will be an excellent fit to the faculty, because of her dedication and her desire to help those around her.
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