Bringing relief after a hurricane

Nine hundred pounds.

That’s how much food sophomore Cadet Ashley Woodward delivered to tattered coastal communities in North Carolina after Hurricane Dorian hit in September.

A native of Wilmington, Ashley knew the communities would need help. With a heart for service and leadership skills to help, she developed a proposal for a canned food drive.

Her nominator wrote, “Ashley worked tirelessly to organize the food drive while balancing her heavy academic load. She informed her fellow cadets of the plan. They were inspired by her example of service and everyone came together to support her efforts. The canned food drive was turned into a squad competition.”

At the end of the 10-day competition, Ashley drove to her home state to deliver the items to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina.

“Her selfless service motivated those around her to serve,” her nominator wrote. “Together, they provided 687 meals to families impacted by the storm.”

True to her nature, instead of being content with her efforts, Ashley chose to spend that weekend working with others in Wilmington to help clean up her community.

Her fellow cadets know her by her drive to serve others.

“Service isn’t a one-time thing for Ashley,” her nominator wrote. “She returned to campus early this fall to serve as a Cadet Training Assistant for Cadre and New Cadet Week. Those two weeks are filled with long days supporting cadet training on every level: carrying water, transporting injured cadets, hauling uniforms for the arriving first-year students, and jumping on every pop-up task within moments to ensure a smooth training environment. Her battalion commander, Cadet Isaac Patterson, praises her record of service.”

Her nominator continued, “Ashley has truly shown what it means to embody Ut Prosimin all aspects of life.”

It is no surprise that Ashley’s top strengths include Restorative, Responsibility, and Relator.

Ashley points to The Big Event as one of the highlights of her college experience.

She wrote, “It was so moving to see community service on that large of a scale and to be able to give back to the community. I had never seen such widespread service and will continue to be involved in the Big Event for years to come.”

A mining engineering major, Ashley is also passionate about art and, unsurprisingly, sees her art as a form of service. Her work sheds light on issues of mental health and domestic violence.

She plans to commission into the United States Army Reserves as an Engineering Officer after graduation. She also wants to stay active in mental health awareness groups and women’s shelters.

Ashley wrote, “These plans play a critical role in how I plan to continue living out Ut Prosim.”