A passionate and progressive educator with over fifteen years of classroom teaching and outdoor education experience, Ashley seeks to help youth develop a strong sense of self worth and belonging through mentorship, outdoor adventure, connection to wild places and authentic leadership opportunities.

Ashley received her B.A. in English and Education from Dartmouth College, and her Master’s in Education Policy, Organization and Leadership at Stanford University. In 2011, Ashley moved to Durango, CO to teach Humanities at Animas High School and in 2015, Ashley co-founded San Juan Mountain SOLES, an outdoor leadership program for female-identifying high school-aged students.

She has since developed a deep sense of place and community rooted in the jagged ridgelines and steep scree fields of the San Juan Mountains, the yawning labyrinth of canyons of the Colorado Plateau, the intrepid urban deer, and big-hearted Durangotang humans.

Ashley’s work as an educator, coach, and mentor has been enriched by her connection to the human and natural worlds in and around the San Juan Mountains. As a college essay writing coach, Ashley draws on her experience that connection to the natural world fosters a sense of awe and inspiration that enables us to be our best and most authentic selves. It is with this understanding that Sagebrush Scholars’ builds its approach to the writing process.