She’s been there; done that; walked in their shoes.
Ashley Dunlope knows exactly what it feels like to be a first-generation college student and, rightly so, was recently recognized with the 2025 I AM FIRST Advocate Award for Staff at Kent State University.
She works in the Enrollment Management and Student Services Department on the Salem and East Liverpool campuses as an academic advisor II and also is a Flashes 101 instructor. For the last several years, she has worked with staff on each of the two campuses to organize activities as part of the I AM FIRST Week, bringing recognition to first-generation students and employees.
This award recognizes a Kent State University staff member who has made significant contributions to the success of first-generation college students through mentorship, first-gen focused programming or initiatives, research, the implementation of first-gen student success strategies into their everyday work, and service to organizations whose mission is directly related to first-generation student success.
Dunlope began her Kent State career in July 2015 as a secretary for the Occupational Therapy Assistant; business and criminology; and justice studies programs on the East Liverpool Campus. From day-one, her mission as an employee has been to help others.
In 2019, Dunlope became an admissions counselor for the East Liverpool and Salem campuses, before transitioning to an academic advisor I in 2021. She was promoted to academic advisor II in 2023 and currently advises all non-allied health majors as well as College Credit Plus students for the Columbiana County campuses.
When she began working at Kent State, Dunlope came with an Associate of Art degree that she earned from the Salem Campus in 2014. While earning that degree, she followed a somewhat “typical” path for a first-generation student, as well as a non-traditional student.
“I’m originally from Lisbon, Ohio, but we moved all over Columbiana County throughout my adolescence,” she shared. “I attended Beaver Local in elementary school; was homeschooled until my junior year; then graduated from the Columbiana County Career and Technical Center and Columbiana High School in 2006.
“I always had this feeling that I needed to ‘do more.’ My aunt got her AAS in radiologic technology from the Salem Campus and aside from studying interactive media at CCCTC, and seeing my friends going to YSU, I really didn’t know much about what degrees were available, but I knew it had to be more than the job I had (at the time),” Dunlope continued.
“I wanted to have more stability in my career. I also really enjoy learning. It may stem from being homeschooled, but I craved the format of a class and projects, as well as having social interaction with classmates. I knew I would have to pay for college myself, which is why I started out with just my associate degree.”
Because her then-circle of friends, family and associates were not college graduates, she said it took some time before she became more motivated to think about seeking a degree after high school.
“As a student at the Career Center, I aspired to study design or advertising but knew that I couldn’t afford it,” Dunlope said. “I graduated high school in 2006 and when I thought that I was going to go to college in 2008, I got offered a full-time position that I couldn’t turn down, so I put college on hold. It’s those types of experiences that gave me even more determination to complete a degree. I knew I could figure it out. … I was not only first generation, but I was a non-traditional student. I did not start college until 2010, four years after I graduated high school, and it took me six years of attending class to earn my bachelor’s degree because I had to work full time.”
Dunlope described growing up in a “very blue-collar family,” but one in which all members worked hard and kept seeking ways to better themselves.
“My dad worked as a mechanic, in construction, was a welder and everything in between,” she said. “My mom worked in area restaurants until she landed her career in healthcare (first as an activities assistant then advancing to a director in a long-term care facility) for over 20 years. My older brother is a welding supervisor – he learned from my dad! My older sister is in management, and my younger sister is a Kent State Salem alum. She now has her own web design business.”
After earning an associate degree in 2014, Dunlope continued the path of a non-traditional student and subsequently graduated from Kent State in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication studies and in 2022 with a Master of Science degree in user experience design.
She acknowledged those who helped her throughout her journey, noting that the support was key to her success.
“My mom has rooted for me from the get-go,” Dunlope said. “She knew I would figure it out, but she took time to learn along with me to understand how it all worked, including the dreaded FAFSA. My first boss, Bonnie, supported me when I first decided to go to school. She was always encouraging and would work with me to adjust my schedule for school, when needed. She even encouraged me to apply to Kent State for the secretary position, knowing that I would be leaving her office, but that moment changed my life.
“My colleagues at the East Liverpool campus pushed me to finish my bachelor’s degree and were always there as my sounding boards and my go-to for projects. But, my then-boyfriend, now husband, Jackson, has been my saving grace. He would not let me give up when I was overwhelmed with working full-time and going to school. I would not have survived without him!”
These experiences are why Dunlope can so easily relate to the students she advises and those in her Flashes 101 classes.
“I can empathize with where they are coming from. When they are frustrated or cannot grasp the ins and outs of college departments, structures and rules, I take the time to go over it with them, even if it means I am over explaining,” she said. “I know what it was like for someone at the university to go the extra mile for me and it was impactful to my success. I don’t take it for granted and I make it my mission to make sure all of my students have someone in their corner.”
Cutline A: Ashley Dunlope, recipient of the 2025 I AM FIRST Advocate Award for Staff
Cutline B: Ashley after earning her master’s degree from Kent State University in 2022.
Cutline C: Ashley with her husband, Jackson, on the opening day of their little record store, Right Brain Records, located inside Birdfish Brewing in Columbiana. Aside from unwavering support from her husband, Ashley also was encouraged while pursuing her master’s degree by her friends in the pinball league at this venue.