Ashton Turkaly first entered Gilpin School as a kindergartener. She attended the school at every grade level and now will be graduating with the Class of 2022.

When she remembers her years in elementary school there are good memories of classroom pizza parties and playing with her friends on the playground. Ashton also remembers a fun reading competition called Race to Read.

In high school Ashton has been a very active Gilpin Eagle. She played volleyball as a freshman and sophomore. She played soccer as a senior. Ashton was also part of the Snowdodgers as a freshman, sophomore and senior. She participated in the theater department every year in high school. She was in the National Honor Society as a sophomore, junior and senior. Ashton was also a Student Council Class Representative as a senior.

Ashton says that she enjoyed the challenge of taking the pre-calculus and AP Calculus classes in high school. She says that they were some of the hardest classes she had ever taken but also some of the most rewarding. She also enjoyed the concurrent enrollment classes that took through Red Rock Community College. Ashton took psychology and sociology because they are classes that will help her toward her career and they are subjects she is very interested in.

Mrs. Vanhoose is a teacher that Ashton felt a positive connection with throughout high school. Ashton says Mrs. Vanhoose, “has always connected with her students, made an effort to get to know them, been there for them and supported us. She also isn’t afraid to be personal with us, she’s just really easy to talk to. She is the teacher that made math fun, and if you had told me in middle school that I would soon love math I would have believed you were crazy.”

Ashton has appreciated all the relationships and connections she has built over the years at Gilpin School. Her mom was a teacher at the school for a number of years which she liked. She has had the same group of friends since kindergarten which she says has been “amazing”.

Ashton would like to give special acknowledgement to her best friend Halle Yocom. She says that her friendship with Halle has made her entire school experience better. They have known each other since kindergarten. Ashton says, “We stuck together during remote learning when the rest of our friends went to in-person school, and I believe that that time together brought us closer. I have no doubt that our friendship will continue after high school.”

When asked what advice she has for younger students Ashton said, “Study hard for school and do your best, but don’t forget to live your life a little. Find out how to best manage your school life and your personal life, and know when you need to put yourself first. Never forget to have fun!”

Outside of school Ashton has worked at Rudolph Ranch working with horses. Currently she works at Salto in Nederland and she is also an intern with The Mountain-Ear.

Ashton is extremely passionate about photography, especially nature photography. She hopes one day to have a photography business and sell her art. She also loves to read, write, ski, go mountain biking, play soccer and spend time with her friends.

After graduating from Gilpin High School she will be attending Community College of Denver and then hopes to transfer to Metropolitan State University to earn degrees in social work. Ashton has received the Gilpin County Clerks Scholarship ($1,000), the PFLAG of Denver Scholarship ($2,000), and will be receiving the City of Black Hawk Scholarship ($6,000).

Through all the ups and downs that kids go through in life (that everyone goes through in life) Ashton has had the added challenge of having bilateral moderate to severe hearing loss and has worn hearing aids since she was two years old. She says, “Although they presented many challenges to my life, they taught me to self-advocate and speak up for myself and my needs. My hearing loss made me into the person I am today.”

Ashton congratulations on your graduation from Gilpin High School! We wish you all the best in the future. A special congratulations from your friends at The Mountain-Ear we are cheering you on in all that you do.