JPS 2024 Impact Report - Report - Page 9
FEATURES
Jenison graduate wins
prestigious Barry M.
Goldwater Scholarship
Libby Ashby shares
her research at a
conference.
Recent
Jenison
graduate Libby
Ashby feels the
robust Jenison AP
program prepared her
well for the success she is
experiencing at the next level.
Ashby, class of 2021, recently earned the prestigious
Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. She was one of 438
scholars across the country
to receive the award, which
provides $7,500 per year in
funding.
“I was pretty shocked at
昀椀rst. The chances are very
low for winning the award.
It will basically get you into
grad school anywhere,”
Ashby said a few weeks a昀琀er
昀椀nding out. “Even now … I
am still trying to wrap my
head around it. It’s such a
huge honor.”
She is studying geological sciences and chemistry
and conducting research at
Michigan State University.
Ashby is pursuing a career in
geochemistry research, with a
focus on metamorphic rocks.
“Libby Ashby is a stellar
student with an incredible
drive towards discovery,” Dr.
Angela Wilson, a professor
in the MSU Department of
Chemistry, said in a release
about the scholarship. “We
are delighted that she
is being
recognized
for her
terri昀椀c
work and
dedication
to both academic and
research
excellence.”
Ashby has
shared her
research
at MSU’s
Undergraduate
Research and Arts Forum,
MSU’s Mid-SURE Conference, and the American
Chemical Society spring
meeting, according to the
release. She also has a manuscript in preparation for
publication.
“From the moment she
stepped onto campus, Libby
has set a high standard of
excellence and success,” said
Dr. Christopher P. Long,
Dean of the MSU Honors
College and of the College of
Arts & Letters.
She plans to pursue a doctorate next, hopefully at Yale.
Ashby said she took
many AP courses at Jenison
Senior High. The classes were
challenging and helped her
develop the resilient mindset
necessary for success.
“I am very grateful to the
school for motivating me to
put 100 percent e昀昀ort into
what I do,” she said. “It’s
really starting to pay o昀昀. It’s
really exciting.”
Her mom said she is
proud of Libby’s accomplishments and thankful for the
role Jenison Public Schools
played. “We have never
regretted our decision to do
schools of choice with Jenison,” Tammy Ashby wrote in
a May 1st Facebook post.
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