Ashley Easterly

About me

I am a people person. Helping people is my passion and what I set out to do every day of my life. I have extensive background in nonprofit and volunteer work and a passion for making the world a better place.

I have a great background in Journalism, working for many publications including The Tulane Hullabaloo, NolaWoman.com, The Friendswood High School Lariat and more. My experience on the senior editing staff of The Tulane Hullabaloo has provided me with opportunities in many areas. I have worked primarily as a layout editor working with graphic design on The Hullabaloo, and also as a senior staff writer and photographer. This experience has provided me with great research and communication skills and the ability to creatively present information in a media format. In addition to my work with The Hullabaloo, I have also worked as a contributing writer and photographer for NolaWoman.com, a New Orleans startup media organization covering the diverse female population of New Orleans. This experience has given me an opportunity to hear and share the stories of many minority members of the New Orleans community who otherwise would not have been heard.

In addition to my extensive journalism background, I have experience working in volunteer and nonprofit efforts. In my coursework as an International Development and Political Economy major, I have been exposed to a number of developmental needs of not only developing countries internationally, but also the needs domestically in the United States. Helping people is my passion. In the Fall of 2013, I was a charter member of the Epsilon chapter of Alpha Delta Pi at Tulane University. I led the Philanthropy committee of the Epsilon chapter in its first philanthropy event raising funds for the Alpha Delta Pi Foundation and the Ronald McDonald House of New Orleans. I helped organize all aspects of the event, a "Prohibition Competition" Mocktail Mix-Off, including drafting team packets, recruiting teams, speaking at meetings of campus organizations, soliciting for sponsors, acquiring raffle items, entertainment and food, and many more activities. In 2010 as a 15-year-old junior in high school, I began my own organization called Suitcase4Soldiers whose main purpose was to serve the uniformed men and women who serve our country. Each month I sent between one and four trunks full of care packages to deployed military overseas. I applied for and received grant funding from the Pepsi Refresh Project. Through this project I began and continued up until August of 2012, I learned a great deal about how to run an organization, from applying for funding and holding fundraisers to organizing events and soliciting volunteer help to keeping records of all transactions and activities and day to day business. I received official proclamations and commendations for my accomplishments from US Senator John Cornyn, Texas State Senator Mike Jackson, and then-Mayor of Friendswood David Smith in addition to awards from the Kohl's Cares program and the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. I believe that my experience running the operations of Suitcase4Soldiers, in addition to my volunteer work with such organizations as Relay for Life, The American Cancer Society, Free The Slaves, The Ronald McDonald House, The Alpha Delta Pi Foundation and more have prepared me well for a future career in the nonprofit sector.

Completed projects