Cultivating Future Community Leaders
Every year, Cultural Coalition partners with Americorp providing real-life experience in a non-profit work environment to encourage our next generation of leaders to engage in the arts and their community. Our most recent Americorp team member to join us is Ashley Culbertson. Since January, she has been working with our staff with a variety of organization projects.
Ashley is from Chandler, Arizona, and recently moved to Tempe in the fall of 2019 to attend Arizona State University. She is currently in her second year majoring in Sustainability with a double minor in Spanish and Mathematics. She is also working towards receiving both her Peace Corps Prep Certificate, and Sustainable Food Systems Certificate.
Her hobbies are also rooted in her interest in sustainability, “I am very passionate about minimizing my impact on Mother Earth, since she provides for me completely. When I moved into my apartment in August, I built a raised garden bed with the hopes of building a small community garden for my 10 neighbors and I. We have recently expanded our garden to the courtyard and a few of my neighbors are going to help build a couple more garden beds soon.”
When asked what inspired her to join Americorps, she had many reasons, but most important was helping people in any way possible. “Going through Americorps seemed like an easy way to get a job that will actually make an impact in my community. I applied to multiple Americorps positions, but I decided to work with Cultural Coalition because their message is so important.” Ashley also shared a more personal reason for her decision: to join the Peace Corp. “Joining the Peace Corps has been a dream of mine since high school and it is actually the reason I decided to attend college. I want to do everything possible to strengthen my Peace Corps application, so Americorps seemed like a logical step.”
So far, Ashley has been helping Cultural Coalition in a variety of ways, ready to take on every task. She credits her parents, who own a small business, for her understanding of how much goes on behind the scenes. When asked what she’s most excited to work with us, she reflected “There are so many duties that Carmen has that go unnoticed. I am just grateful I have the opportunity to help Carmen and the work she does to keep Cultural Coalition running.”
Cultural Coalition shares the cultures of all communities, with the idea that “La Cultura Cura”- Culture Cures. Ashley shared her relationship with arts and culture, one that is common for many, “I honestly feel like I have been detached from arts and culture most of my life. I have never been very artistic, so I just assumed art wasn’t for me.” But through art, she shared she has been able to find some relaxation and peace during these times. She also shared her growing understanding of cultural preservation and how that has also informed her work with Cultural Coalition, “At ASU I have learned how many cultures and languages are being lost around the world. It is so sad to see culture disappearing and I want to do anything I can to help keep cultures alive.”
We’re so grateful to have Ashley working with us to help us in our mission to provide community engagement, and we’re excited to nurture her appreciation and support of arts and culture around the world.