Ashley Bacon-Ward
Recent grad credits outside opportunities to academic success.
Ashley Bacon-Ward (B.A. '07/L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs) called graduation bittersweet.
The 22-year-old recently earned a political science degree from the Wilder School and is already well on her way to a bright and successful future. And the Chesterfield County native has her VCU undergraduate experience to thank.
“I definitely felt like I was complete at graduation,” Bacon-Ward said. “Sometimes you look back and think, ‘Oh I could have done this or that,’ but I think I did all I could do.”
She is now spending the summer in a familiar place – the Virginia governor’s office.
Bacon-Ward spent part of her final college semester at the governor’s office as an intern with the Department of Technology. The previous year she participated in the Virginia Capital Semester, an internship program with the state government.
The VCU alumna is now one of 25 Governor’s Fellows working for the executive branch on different initiatives.
The students selected as Governor’s Fellows are graduating college seniors or current graduate students. The program offers a select group of motivated individuals the opportunity to experience firsthand the administration of state government.
Her experiences are just a stepping stone in a future in international affairs and immigration.
“VCU helped prepare me academically with all the rigorous courses and outside opportunities,” Bacon-Ward said. “In the Wilder School, the teachers really care about you. All my teachers were easy to talk to and wanted to help.”
This fall, she is headed south to graduate school at Texas A&M to study international affairs. It doesn't hurt that she received a full academic scholarship to the two-year program.
“A&M just felt like a comfortable fit, the way I felt at VCU,” she said. “There was a family atmosphere throughout VCU. I felt that I could have the same experiences at A&M.”
