Meet Alumna Ashley Lancaster | Mathematics Education M.S.'10

I grew up in Walkersville, MD and went to McDaniel College for my undergraduate degree.  I majored in mathematics and minored in secondary education.  Upon graduation in 2007, I was hired by Frederick County Public Schools and started working at Governor Thomas Johnson Middle School in Frederick, MD.  I have been there 12 years now, having taught the broad spectrum of math classes ranging from English Language Learners to the Accelerated high school level classes.  I earned my Master’s degree from Hood College in Secondary Mathematics Education in 2010.  Most recently, I received National Board Certification in Middle School Mathematics.

The location was key for me, with Hood College being within 15 minutes from both my work and home.  FCPS also has a great partnership with Hood College which is how I first found out about the graduate program.  Hood has a wonderful reputation for providing high level education so it was an easy decision for me to choose Hood for graduate school.

Hood College instilled in me a love for learning.  The professors were so passionate about the mathematics they were teaching and in forming close connections with their students.  I learned how to be a better teacher because of their expertise.  All of my classes at Hood were small which allowed to me personally get to know and interact with the professors.  I was (and still am) able to directly use so much of what I learned at Hood in my own classes that I teach.  I do not think I would have even considered pursuing National Board Certification had it not been for my very positive experience at Hood College.

I loved the close knit group of students that I was in classes with.  We had almost all of our classes together, so we were able to get to know each other well and learn from each other.  My favorite memory was getting to meet one of my best friends while at Hood College.  She and I had many classes together, would go to Starbucks before our class each week, and still stay in close contact even though she has since moved to Texas.

 I am an avid runner with high hopes of running my first marathon this year!

Inspired and ready to #GOFURTHER in your education? Learn about Hood College's graduate programs including the M.S. in Mathematics Education by clicking here.