Ashley McGinley | Photo by Christian Peters | The Wright State Guardian
Ashley McGinley is a Writing Coach at the University Writing Center (UWC) and has been a student at Wright State University (WSU) for nearly twenty years.
His transition to WSU
Following his career as a Proposal Specialist in the early 2000’s, McGinley decided to study at an American Culinary Federation (ACF) certified school. He studied there for three years and became a certified chef.
Although his initial goal was to open a bistro shop, McGinley felt that his age and financial situation made this an unrealistic venture. With his age, it was difficult for him to be on his feet all day and meet the other physical demands of being a chef.
“Once I realized that the bistro was not a practical idea, I started back at WSU as a creative writing major,” McGinley said.
His main reason for choosing to attend WSU is the discount he receives on tuition for his wife being faculty. This discount, combined with the fact that his student loans would be deferred if he was in school, were the contributing factors to this decision.
However, McGinley currently takes classes just for fun and focuses on his passion for learning.
“I’m older than the standard student, but I’ll just keep going to school until I die,” McGinley said.
His path of self-discovery at WSU
McGinley takes a plethora of classes at WSU but his favorite is Photography I. He credits this class for helping him discover his passion for photography.
“I’ve been told that my photographs tell better stories than I ever wrote,” McGinley said.
After discovering his affinity for photography through Photography I, McGinley invested in photography equipment and found his true calling in life. His preferred style for photography is black and white.
In addition to his desire to keep learning, McGinley maintains a minimum of six credit hours each semester so that he can continue working at the university writing center.
McGinley enjoys making a difference in students’ lives, connecting with other coaches and having a job that is flexible around his scheduling needs. He says the writing center is the best job he has had in his entire life.
“The biggest thing for me is watching students do their work and figuring out what they need. Our job is not to make better writing. It is to make better writers,” McGinley said.
