Second Chances, Last Chances
Ashley told the students of Pinnacle repeatedly that life will give them second chances, but it is impossible to tell the difference between second chances and last chances until it is too late. She shared her response to being arrested for her indirect involvement in the fight: she chose to turn away from the people who had abused her and failed to support her. This included her friends at school and family members who abused her at home.
For Ashley, the alternative to hanging with those so-called friends was sports. She told the students that she immersed herself in afterschool practice sessions and games. “I didn’t have to go home when I was playing sports,” she said.
New Beginnings, New Choices
Ashley turned out to be gifted as an athlete. Rather than feeling neglected, abused, and mistreated, she found herself on the horizon of an amazing life. Winning was second nature, but it didn’t stop her from making bad choices. She told the story of how she goaded another runner crossing the finish line at a track meet and found herself disqualified from the event.
Ashley was not pulled out of the event in handcuffs, but her coach did ask her an important question. He asked her why she was afraid of being the best. Ashley found the answer to that question when she was a 14-year-old intern with the City of Charleston Housing Authority.
During that internship, Ashley discovered the concept of youth empowerment. She realized the magnificent difference youth empowerment could make on the world, and her future was instantly changed. Rather than making bad choices and settling for a life of failure, Ashley started making positive choices and found her motivation to be the best.
Swim to Your Ship
Ashley introduced the students to a quote from Jonathan Winters: "If your ship doesn't come in, swim to it." To that quote she added her own pearl of wisdom: “Greatness is not coming to you. It is waiting for you.”
Ashley told the students how she lived up to this pearl of wisdom as a student at Bethune-Cookman University. Driven by her passion for youth empowerment, she founded Hearts in Motion (H.I.M.) to coordinate with universities, community colleges, and local community centers in order to improve the lives of youth. H.I.M. is now a successful organization that helps children develop greater self-worth and lives of purpose through service projects.
Within a year, Ashley partnered H.I.M. with the Southeastern Network of Youth and Family Services to develop a powerful annual conference devoted to youth empowerment. This partnership makes strides to advocate for youth, but Ashley did not stop there. She continued swimming toward her ship by attending a training course offered by Les Brown and moving forward to start the Hearing Our Perspective on Everything (H.O.P.E.) conference. This weekly conference is intended to motivate youth.
Dream the Impossible
Ashley may not have seen a bright future for herself at the time she was pulled out of that classroom in handcuffs, but today she is a vital part of the Maryland Business Roundtable Speakers Bureau and a student at Johns Hopkins University. While pursuing her degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, she immerses herself in work with Department of Labor appointees concerned with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, otherwise known as the stimulus package.
Ashley still believes in making choices, but she sees more possibilities open for her life. Her life mission is to help others find their personal power and live purposeful lives. Ashley left the students with a powerful message: Stop saying it is impossible and believe that they are possible.
Ashley told the students of Pinnacle repeatedly that life will give them second chances, but it is impossible to tell the difference between second chances and last chances until it is too late. She shared her response to being arrested for her indirect involvement in the fight: she chose to turn away from the people who had abused her and failed to support her. This included her friends at school and family members who abused her at home.
For Ashley, the alternative to hanging with those so-called friends was sports. She told the students that she immersed herself in afterschool practice sessions and games. “I didn’t have to go home when I was playing sports,” she said.
New Beginnings, New Choices
Ashley turned out to be gifted as an athlete. Rather than feeling neglected, abused, and mistreated, she found herself on the horizon of an amazing life. Winning was second nature, but it didn’t stop her from making bad choices. She told the story of how she goaded another runner crossing the finish line at a track meet and found herself disqualified from the event.
Ashley was not pulled out of the event in handcuffs, but her coach did ask her an important question. He asked her why she was afraid of being the best. Ashley found the answer to that question when she was a 14-year-old intern with the City of Charleston Housing Authority.
During that internship, Ashley discovered the concept of youth empowerment. She realized the magnificent difference youth empowerment could make on the world, and her future was instantly changed. Rather than making bad choices and settling for a life of failure, Ashley started making positive choices and found her motivation to be the best.
Swim to Your Ship
Ashley introduced the students to a quote from Jonathan Winters: "If your ship doesn't come in, swim to it." To that quote she added her own pearl of wisdom: “Greatness is not coming to you. It is waiting for you.”
Ashley told the students how she lived up to this pearl of wisdom as a student at Bethune-Cookman University. Driven by her passion for youth empowerment, she founded Hearts in Motion (H.I.M.) to coordinate with universities, community colleges, and local community centers in order to improve the lives of youth. H.I.M. is now a successful organization that helps children develop greater self-worth and lives of purpose through service projects.
Within a year, Ashley partnered H.I.M. with the Southeastern Network of Youth and Family Services to develop a powerful annual conference devoted to youth empowerment. This partnership makes strides to advocate for youth, but Ashley did not stop there. She continued swimming toward her ship by attending a training course offered by Les Brown and moving forward to start the Hearing Our Perspective on Everything (H.O.P.E.) conference. This weekly conference is intended to motivate youth.
Dream the Impossible
Ashley may not have seen a bright future for herself at the time she was pulled out of that classroom in handcuffs, but today she is a vital part of the Maryland Business Roundtable Speakers Bureau and a student at Johns Hopkins University. While pursuing her degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, she immerses herself in work with Department of Labor appointees concerned with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, otherwise known as the stimulus package.
Ashley still believes in making choices, but she sees more possibilities open for her life. Her life mission is to help others find their personal power and live purposeful lives. Ashley left the students with a powerful message: Stop saying it is impossible and believe that they are possible.
