Over the past decade, Ashley McCullough ’12, MAT ’14 has built her career as an English teacher in Cherry Creek, CO schools. She’s dedicated her time both in and outside of school hours to supporting and guiding her students. In June, McCullough received her second Diamond Award for excellence as an educator and speech and debate coach from the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA).
“Ashley is a quiet leader,” says Sarah Hinkle, the director of CC’s Speaking Center. “She is the one who tries to be invisible in the back of the room, but she’s got incredible leadership ability.”
CC is an annual sponsor of NSDA – an organization that has over seven thousand students compete annually and is the top national association for speech and debate. Hinkle had the honor of presenting McCullough with her second Diamond Award and saw it was a full-circle moment as McCullough was one of the first students she coached when she started at CC in 2010.
“Of all the students I’ve had, she’s the one that sticks out the most for me,” says Hinkle. “She wasn’t the stock student we saw back then. And she has such a great story.”
As a child, McCullough would travel with her mom to Colorado Springs, reading in the corner of a shop while her mom met with clients. Her hours of reading eventually caught the eye of the shop owners who just happened to be CC alums. They recognized her academic curiosity and potential and encouraged her to look at CC in the future. As a single mom with little extra income, McCullough’s mother didn’t want to get her daughter’s hopes up but offered to take her on a tour of CC. The second she stepped foot on campus, McCullough knew she had found her place. “I don’t know how we’re going to do this,” her mom told her all those years ago. “But we’re gonna make this happen for you.”
McCullough found speech and debate in high school, and continued at CC where she really found her voice and her confidence. After graduating, she continued on in the MAT program. Since earning her master’s, McCullough has taught in the Denver area, working as an English Language Arts teacher and Speech and Debate Coach. When asked how she’s stayed so long in a career where average longevity is rapidly decreasing, she says, “It was my MAT program. I had professors like Manya Whitaker that totally changed how I integrated into a classroom and how I see students for who they are first. That’s what it was that really inspired me. I know this is my passion. This is what I’m meant to do. Glamorous or otherwise, that’s why I’m here.”
“The work that she has done is really quite amazing,” says Hinkle. “The second Diamond is a huge deal to get. It’s an emotional honor. Watching her grow and seeing all the things that she’s done behind the scenes for the Denver Metro area – she has changed so many lives.”
McCullough has been on multiple national board committees and served as the State Tournament Director for Colorado and the Chair of the Committee of Policies.
“She’s opened access to students who didn’t have funding or the ability to compete at the high school level,” says Hinkle. “And she just quietly does the work. No one would know that she’s such a superstar. The infrastructure changes that have happened in the state for speech and debate because she has been elected to these positions to make these changes is amazing. She understands the power these organizations can have for students like the one she used to be. She understands it’s a pipeline for access and she’s able to make effective change.”