Ashleigh Richelle is the daughter of a strong immigrant mother, the oldest of three siblings, a SMASH Academy alum, a first-generation college graduate and Latinx community advocate. She brings all parts of her past and present experiences, lessons, and hopes for the future into her role as the Communications manager for SMASH, the education arm of the Kapor Center.
Ashleigh is great at her job because she not only loves it but she has lived it. Just like the SMASH scholars and alumni she highlights, Ashleigh has successfully completed SMASH Academy and now has made it her job to help spread the word about the three-year STEM-intensive residential college prep program. Yes, Ashleigh has the education and work experience to be qualified to do her job and to do it well, but in some ways, Ashleigh has come full circle. She has lived and breathed SMASH as a scholar and can now bridge the gap between both the scholar and program perspectives.
As the Communications Manager for SMASH, Ashleigh takes her role a bit further by not only increasing exposure for SMASH, but for the scholars themselves. “I see it as a privilege to have this platform, to use my voice to tell my story, to tell other folks stories, and for other Latinx, other women of color to see that they can also tell their story in a way that’s authentic, in a way that’s compassionate” says Ashleigh.
Watch the video above to learn more about Ashleigh and to hear her distance traveled story that lead her to SMASH and to the Kapor Center.