Ainsley Ash (SMBHC 21), a freshman from Meridian, Mississippi is the first University of Mississippi student to participate in a Fulbright Summer Institute. This highly selective program chooses college freshmen or sophomores from the United States to study at select colleges in the United Kingdom. In a month-long seminar called Education for Transformation at Queen’s College in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Ainsley will engage in lectures, seminars and study visits to examine methods of driving educational change. The seminar will examine the Northern Ireland education system facilitated by a UNESCO leader and will study educational curriculum in divided and conflicted societies. They will also focus on special needs and epistemic justice, and use site visits to see the interplay between formal and informal education. Ainsley is a psychology major who plans on a career working on education policy in Mississippi.

“Just as Mississippi continues to recover from its painful history of race relations, Northern Ireland works to mend the divisions that arose from the Troubles,” remarks Ainsley. “By studying this parallel, I hope to gain a deeper understanding of the role that equitable education can play in the peace-building process. This exposure will be incredibly beneficial to conversations in and outside of the classroom.”

Ainsley serves as an ambassador to the SMBHC, is involved with the Wise Women of Oxford, College Democrats, and the International American Student Alliance. In March, she helped organize a student-led trip to Washington, D.C. for the March for Our Lives. This summer, she will also be attending the N.E.W. Leadership program with politically diverse young women across the state at the Mississippi University for Women.

“Ainsley invested many hours writing and revising her application. She chose a seminar that will provide her with useful tools that will allow her to do comparative studies of education in Ireland to help her better understand the needs of students in Mississippi. I’m happy that the Fulbright commission recognized her as the dynamic student leader and change-agent that she is,” said ONSA Director Tim Dolan. “It is a fantastic opportunity for her and I hope many other UM students will be inspired by her example and apply in the coming years.”

Congratulations, Ainsley!

For more information visit http://www.fulbright.org.uk/fulbright-awards/exchanges-to-the-uk/undergraduates.

Ainsley Ash  (Photo by Thomas Graning/Ole Miss Communications)