By Audrey Kim, Staff Reporter

Ashley Carter always knew she wanted to be a teacher. In high school, she decided that she would focus on Spanish. At Conestoga, Carter teaches accelerated Spanish 4 and blended accelerated and honors Spanish 5.

“Spanish was a hard class for me,” Carter said. “There was a long-term substitute in my junior year that made everything click while also making the class fun and engaging. I wanted to make sure that future students would be able to understand (the language) too.”

Carter has been teaching Spanish for five years. After earning her bachelor’s degree in education from Kutztown University, she pursued her master’s degree in education at Rutgers University. During college, she played tennis, participated in the athletic advisory committee and served as the secretary for the Latino cultural awareness club. Carter is currently working on obtaining her second master’s degree at the Pennsylvania State University in curriculum design.

Previously, Carter was a long-term substitute at the  Parkland School District in Allentown and a Spanish teacher at Upper Darby High School. She has taught at Conestoga for three years, and said that she appreciated the immense support from her colleagues when she came to Conestoga.

“My colleagues really helped me to get accustomed to Conestoga and see what was different at this school based on where I was coming from, how I should be prepared and what activities worked really well for the students,” Carter said. “The students also really helped me at the same time to see what helped them learn.”

At the end of 2022, Carter became the new teacher adviser for Conestoga’s chapter of DECA, an organization that prepares high school students for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management careers through various competitions. She enjoys seeing the students’ achievements and successes during events.

“I know that they work really hard with DECA, so I like to see them go out and compete and do really well,” Carter said. “They seem to enjoy it, and that makes me really happy to be working with them.”

Outside of teaching, Carter enjoys baking, playing tennis and going on walks with her dog in national parks. When choosing a career, Carter believes in prioritizing passions and values.

“Follow your heart.  (Don’t) necessarily go with something that’s easy,” Carter said. “Think about what you enjoy doing in life, and try starting there.”

Audrey Kim can be reached at [email protected].