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One Kentucky State University alumna changed her perspective through education and is now using her work to do the same for others.

Ashley Davis, a 2013 graduate, is currently the principal of Pauline A. Shaw Elementary School in Boston.

“In this role, I focus on building stakeholder capacity through culturally responsive instruction and practices,” Davis said.

Prior to her role as principal, Davis served for five years as a ninth grade English teacher, cheerleading coach and mentor at Match Charter Public High School in Boston. In 2015, Davis earned a master’s from the Sposato Graduate School of Education.

Davis has garnered national attention through her work.

“In 2016, my classroom was profiled by the New York Times in an opinion piece titled “More Awkward than a 9th Grader,” Davis said. “In March 2019, I gave a TEDx Talk on “Language as the Ultimate Currency,” where I tell my story through a love of prose and word play.”

Davis was born and raised in Cincinnati.

“Every Cincinnatian knows two things of Walnut Hills,” Davis said. “One is that it is one of the most pernicious and deadly neighborhoods in the region. The second is that it is home to the highest-performing, prestigiously ranked public school in the nation.”

At age 12, Davis said she found her niche in the “beautiful juxtaposition.”

“For eight hours each day, I left the comfort of my crime-ridden and poverty-stricken neighborhood for the wonder of my new and elite Walnut Hills High School,” Davis said.

Once Davis enrolled at Walnut Hills, she said she realized there was much more to life than the world she was exposed to.

“I stumbled upon my truest self by way of my education,” Davis said. “My love for educating others is underscored by my hope that the change this country needs can be made possible with a strong school that helps instill a sense of self-awareness.”

Davis said her the most important thing she learned at Kentucky State was about the essential nature of HBCUs to not only the African American community, but to the nation at-large.

“Kentucky State expanded my perception and understanding of my own blackness and allowed me to transcend stereotypes and see a broader picture,” Davis said. “I don’t think I could have learned that lesson anywhere else.”

While at Kentucky State, Davis became a proud member of the Lambda Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated, and served for several years as vice president.

“I was able to coordinate events, lead community service projects and collaborate with other extracurriculars such as student government and the Thorobred newspaper,” Davis said.

Davis encouraged current and future Thorobreds to not be afraid to live.

“Your experience is what you make it,” Davis said. “Branch out. Do something you never thought you’d do.”