Though Ashley is preparing to graduate in May, she is just embarking on her future. She plans to attend pharmacy school, practice clinical pharmacy, earn her master’s in public health focused on health administration and policy and eventually work to improve the health care system.
It is a plan she developed as a volunteer for the Alzheimer’s Association. A regular participant in the association’s annual walk, Ashley knew the effects of the disease. Her great grandmother had Alzheimer’s, and her family watched as her great grandmother slowly deteriorated. It was heartbreaking but inspired Ashley to get more involved.
She became a state champion for patients and caregivers, met with state legislators and worked to pass legislation to fund research.
Now, Ashley volunteers for the Alzheimer’s Association, the American Heart Association and the Lexington Humane Society. She works for Kroger Pharmacy and co-founded a charity in her hometown that provides clothes for children.
“I am very privileged, and I knew I needed to use my position to help others,” said the Meadowview, Virginia, native. “Volunteering is a way to help people, and the Student Philanthropy Board gets me more volunteer experience, is helping me to find my niche and allows me to make more connections to make a greater impact.”