Ashley Boulden with a student

Ashley Boulden’s passion for teaching, hockey and softball go hand in hand.

She credits her biological family, Rider University's field hockey and softball families and the teacher education department in the School of Education for instilling a positive attitude that is deeply rooted in her personal and professional development. “I am surrounded by positive people who help make what I do so incredible,” said Boulden of Brooklawn , a senior elementary education/psychology major and special education minor and a co-captain of Rider’s field hockey team. “I would not have it any other way.”

Coming off a winning season last spring in the MAAC (softball) and the fall Northeast Conference (field hockey), Boulden, named one of five senior co-captains, looks forward to this fall’s hockey season and spring softball season.

“We make practice and games fun because we all work so hard,” said Boulden, who has played second base in softball and midfielder, wing and now back positions in field hockey. “When you work hard together, great things happen. I am so lucky to be a part of both the field hockey and softball teams. I feel the same way about teaching. Before and after practice, I am right back in the teaching mode at Stony Brook Elementary School. “I’m striving to be the best teacher I can be to help shape the minds of our future.”

Boulden’s parents, Harry and Ellen, and her sister, Maddy '05, who excelled in field hockey and softball at Rider, have been the “backbone” of her success. Her father, who passed away in a plane crash during her sophomore year, continues to fuel her desire to excel. “My true inner drive comes from knowing that my dad is always watching me and supporting me from above,” said Boulden. “He lived his life to the fullest and in my own way I am still striving to do the same.”

Boulden greatly appreciates the intense academic training she has received at Rider, one which has allowed her to start her teaching in the field during her sophomore year. “I think that Rider’s support system for educators is really one of a kind,” she said. “They respect us, believe in us and most importantly support our growth as professional educators. From what I have experienced, I know that Rider works toward making all students knowledgeable, committed and professional. That’s one of the reasons I came here to study elementary education.

“Children’s minds are so inquisitive that I’m constantly on my toes,” said Boulden. “There is something special about being in a classroom and watching a child’s eyes light up when they finally understand a new concept that they’ve learned during the day.”

At Rider, Boulden has been named to the dean’s list each semester since freshman year, a member of the All Academic Team in both field hockey and softball every season and a member of Kappa Delta Pi, a national honor society for education majors. She is also an active member of the Rider Council for Exceptional Children.

Upon graduation this May, Boulden plans to travel to Hawaii to teach students with special needs. Her ultimate goal is to become an inspiring teacher, a motivational coach for both field hockey and softball, and a loving and supportive wife and mother.

“My guiding philosophy is to live life to the fullest,” said Boulden. “If I am going to do something then I’m going to do it with passion and enjoy every moment of it.”