Ashley Charest | YWCA Women of Excellence
TK: What inspires you?
ASHLEY: My girls inspire me the most right now; they are 16 and 10, and its amazing to watch their personalities grow, to learn about what they want to do with their lives and how kind and compassionate they are.
TK: What have you learned about yourself through the challenges of the past year and a half?
ASHLEY: I have learned that I could never be a teacher. I always knew that teachers had a very challenging job and should be getting paid A LOT more than they do; but when I had to become a part-time teacher helper for my youngest daughter during remote and hybrid school my appreciation of the patience and skills teachers went to a whole other level of respect.
TK: How do you take care of yourself?
ASHLEY: For me I love to escape into a book and lose myself in the location, storyline and characters. It also helps that my friend Joanne bought me a wine straw that fits into a full bottle to use at the beginning of remote schooling.
TK: What is the best advice you've ever been given? Or what advice do you have for others?
ASHLEY: There is a book-full of advice people have given me over the years, but here is one that rings true for almost every situation. Do what you can do, do it to the best of your ability and let everything else fall away.
TK: What is your vision for our community? Has it changed through the pandemic and racial justice reckoning of 2020?
ASHLEY: My vision for Topeka has not changed from prior to 2020. I want Topeka to be the kind of place that not only makes me want to continue being here, but a place that my children want to call home, whether that is right now, or in the future after they finish college and are ready to place down their own roots.
TK: The mission of YWCA is to eliminate racism, empower women and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. What does YWCA's mission mean to you?
ASHLEY: For me, the YWCA mission of empowering women calls out the most to me, and that is probably because I have 2 daughters. I want them to not only be kind and compassionate, but I want them to know that they can do and try anything and that their gender will not be something to hold them back.
The YWCA is on a mission to empower women at all stages in their careers. Diversity in leadership is particularly vital to our vibrant business community in the Greater Topeka Area.
