Life After Luther

Ashley began her work with Epic shortly after graduation. Over the past three years, she’s traveled to 20 states and the Netherlands to work with 25 healthcare organizations. Ashley and her small group of implementers have been working on a project with The Johns Hopkins Medical Center for two years and she will be part of a major release happening this winter. Ashley says, “This job definitely keeps me busy and means I spend a lot of days on the road and nights in hotels, but the work is challenging and rewarding!”

Ashley  believes that her time at Luther was critical to her success today. “Luther pushed me to be well-rounded and explore areas outside of my major,” she says. “Every day I face new problems that challenge me to think critically, and I think I'm better at tackling those problems thanks to the breadth of what I learned in college.”

Experiential Learning Provided Diverse Experiences

Outside of her academic work, Ashley participated in many activities on campus, including cross country and track, Launching Luther Leaders, and an Ultimate Frisbee winter recreational league. “Being a member of the cross country team was one of the most formative aspects of my time at Luther,” Ashley says. “It's where I met many of my closest friends and my now-husband. Running continues to be a part of my daily routine even though it's harder with a busy travel schedule for work. I hit a major life goal this past spring when I crossed the finish line of the Boston marathon with one of my fellow former Luther cross-country runners!”

Ashley’s experiences off-campus were just as vital to her education as those on-campus. “Studying away during college had a major impact on my desire to see more of the world and learn about other places and cultures,” she says. Some of her experiences abroad included studying journalism in China, attending the Women as Global Leaders Conference in Abu Dhabi, and interning for C-SPAN in Washington, D.C.

Work Study Had a Lasting Impact

Working at Chips, the student newspaper on campus, allowed Ashley to engage with a community that shared her interests. “I've always loved to write,” she says. “Working at Chips was such a fun way to put that passion to use. I enjoyed digging into issues that were important on campus, meeting new people through writing articles, and becoming a better news writer. We had lots of lively debates in that tiny basement office, and I made great friends with the other staff.” Ashley’s work study with Chips also provided her with professional opportunities outside the Luther campus. “Working there opened a door to an internship opportunity I took in Prairie du Chien to run the North Iowa Times while the manager was gone for a month over J-Term. I still have a passion for writing and hope that my career will someday lead me back to journalism!”