Ashley Abernathy: Student and Mentor
Ashley Abernathy is not just your regular college student. She is a sophomore at East Carolina University as well as a Resident Advisor on campus.
Along with attending classes and working towards her goal of becoming a freelance writer, Abernathy serves as a mentor for incoming freshmen.
East Carolina University offers a program called FX, which provides helpful programs for new students. The Resident Advisors on campus plan the programs and events for new students.
Abernathy actually participated in the FX program last year as a freshman at East Carolina University and was chosen to become a Resident Advisor this year.
Abernathy grew up in Dallas, North Carolina where she lived with her mother, step-father, and her two younger siblings, one brother and one step-brother.
She came to East Carolina University to earn a degree in print journalism. She hopes to one day be a freelance writer.
Abernathy plans to intern with a newspaper or magazine from her hometown this summer to get an inside look at the world of print journalism. She believes that experience will aid in her pursuit of her ultimate goal: a journalism career after college.
Abernathy is a serious, goal driven person. She has morals and standards that she chooses to live by and she does what she believes is right for herself, not what other people think she should do.
“She is going to do what she thinks is right no matter what. That’s one of her best qualities I think, because she does have a good head on her shoulders and it seems to lead her in the right direction in life,” said her boyfriend, Wes Cato.
Abernathy’s close friend, Alex Freed, whom she met when she first moved to college her freshman year described her as a very genuine person.
“Probably one of the best qualities that she has is that she is ‘real.’ She doesn’t hide who she is or try to act the way she thinks other people want her to,” said Freed.
Aside from the more serious side of her personality, Abernathy also has a fun loving side as well. She may come across as shy and reserved at first to some, but according to her friends she is a very fun, lovable, outgoing person as well once you get to know her.
“Ashley loves a good time. She is almost always joking around, trying to make light of serious situations. At times you can’t even get her to stop laughing,” said Cato.
“I didn’t know how I felt about Ashley when I first met her as a freshman in high school because she was so quiet. I thought that maybe she was stuck up, but I came to realize that she wasn’t stuck up at all–just really shy. Once you spend some time with her you get to know the fun, goofy, outgoing Ashley,” said her old friend from high school, Ashley Leviner.
As a sophomore Resident Advisor for Aycock Residence Hall, Abernathy has taken on a lot of responsibility. She must work hard to encourage her residents to attend the planned events, ones that she herself has put time into organizing.
Abernathy’s hard work ethic and dedication are what make her so suitable for this job. Being a good listener and a person that people feel like they can confide in are mentor qualities, which she embodies.
“She is dependable; anytime I have ever needed someone to talk to she has always been there,” said Leviner.
Abernathy was nervous about coming back and starting this year because she knew that being a Resident Advisor was going to a challenge. Not only was it going to require a lot of time and hard work, but she was concerned that she was not the most outgoing, talkative person compared to the other Resident Advisors. However, Abernathy is a good listener and she loves to help people whenever they need it.
Freshmen students are finding this out, and Abernathy has enjoyed her time spent as a Resident Advisor so far. She has enjoyed meeting all of her residents and being able to help them with anything that they need as they make the transition to college life. Abernathy’s friends believe that she will be a successful mentor to these freshmen throughout their first year at East Carolina University.
“As an RA, Ashley will do a terrific job. She always takes her job seriously and will do whatever is necessary to ensure that the job is done successfully,” said Freed.
Sources
- Wes Cato (Ashley’s boyfriend), wcato54@yahoo.com
- Alex Freed (Ashley’s close friend), amf0731@ecu.edu
- Ashley Leviner (Ashley’s high school friend), lnleviner2@catamount.wcu.edu
Filed under: Classmate Profiles