Ashley Rhodes-Courter

Ashley Rhodes-Courter (http://money.howstuffworks.com/do-something-brick-awards-winner-ashley-rhodes-courter.htm)

I first became aware of Ashley by looking her up online. I typed in young person making a difference and her website was on one of the Google pages. What inspired me to choose her as my career hero was that she has a story to tell and she’s already made such a big impact on people. She uses her history and her stories to motivate and give hope to others. Also, she travels all over the world just to help people, strangers, she doesn’t even really know.

At this moment, Ashley Rhodes-Courter is still in college, but at the young age of twenty-one, she has already published a book. She is also a public speaker and has prepared a trip to give speeches all over the country. She finished a double major in communications and drama. Also, she completed a double minor in political science and psychology. She is a young activist, public speaker, and author who has done everything in her power to change the lives of so many people. But most importantly the lives of young orphans and foster kids who had lost all sense of hope. She really doesn’t do any of this for the money. She just wants to help and change as many lives as possible.

Ashley in Africa (http://www.rhodes-courter.com/about_ashley_rhodes_courter.html)

In school, Ashley was always awake and an excellent student, according to her teachers. The main reason she started working with adoption agencies and public speaking was because she was adopted as well. She also raises awareness for foster kids because she was one herself for most of her life. When she grew up, she decided she wanted to change the lives of kids who are stuck in the same situations she was in during her childhood years and prevent it from happening to the next generation of orphaned kids. She knew what it felt like to be passed around like a used toy and she's gone through so much abuse as a child. Yet, thanks to her adoptive parents, she was saved from even more terrible incidents and turned out to be very successful. During most of her college career, Ashley was giving public speeches, receiving awards, and even traveled to Africa. One of her adoptive parents is a filmmaker and the other an author so she has much support from her family and knows exactly how to reach out to people and get their attention.

With all of Ashley’s skill and her determination, she has changed the lives of many foster children and orphaned kids. She helps these kids by going to fundraisers, speaking at public events, and even wrote a book about her experiences to raise awareness. She tries to raise money for these children and always tries to communicate with as many of them as she can. She also has public pages where people can contact and talk to her whenever they would like to. Ashley really tries her best to reach out to as many people possible.

To be like Ashley, and make such an impact as she has, would be amazing. I’d have to prepare myself and do a lot though. In high school, I could start by volunteering and joining a of variety clubs. During college, I can study psychology and communications. During my lifetime, I could spend my free time lending a hand in the community and using my skills and education to speak to people. I would also have to become an expert on public speeches and dedicate a lot of my time on others. It would take up a lot of my time and energy, but it would all be worth it if I am able to change the lives of hundreds of people, just as Ashley Rhodes-Courter has.