Art education grad devotes career to serving the most underserved students
Growing up in the Bay Area, Ashley Beck was never your typical student; she always wanted to do things differently than instructed. “I would definitely push back against boundaries,” she said. “I worked really well when given a lot of creative freedom.” Beck’s personal experience sparked an interest from a young age in other students who didn’t fit the mold, whether because of special needs or academic gifts. This inclination, along with the support of her highly creative and service-oriented family, eventually led Beck to teach art in Title I public schools in the District of Columbia, where she has stayed since completing her student teaching in 2013. “The biggest thing I had to learn was to really get to know my students,” Beck said. “I definitely came in with a lot of biases I didn’t know I had. I had to really get to know each student individually and see what they need.” Read the full story at art.byu.edu.