Alumni Spotlight: Valentina Gheorghe

By Valentina Gheorghe, class of 2012, Integrated Language Arts major

Val Gheorghe (right) with Anu Nande (left), a friend she met while studying abroad in England. 

When I look back on the path that lead me into teaching high school Language Arts, I find it full of little ironies, the most amusing of which is that English is not my first language. My family immigrated to the United States when I was two-and-a-half years old from Romania, and I distinctly remember not understanding what anyone at daycare was saying to me, but that they were saying it in a very nice way. A lot of my free time as a child was spent reading as it kept me occupied - a scheme that worked so well I preferred to read than to do any of my actual school work.

Sitting in my freshman high school English class I remember my favorite teacher, Bonnie Molnar, describing a bit of her workload as an educator. I told myself “I’ll never do that.” (I’ve since learned not to say “I’ll never” as that will undoubtedly become a thing I do.) The problem, if it can even be called that, is that I loved reading, was very good at it, and worse, was able to help my fellow students in English class. I eventually applied to Ashland, as it was the alma mater of another high school teacher, and passed through the gauntlet of classwork, field experience, and inordinate amounts of paperwork that accompany a degree in English Education. 

There is a certain pride that comes from having to work so hard for something you love. A particular respect follows you if you’ve made it through Ashland’s academic halls. It was at Ashland I learned to dissent, to discuss, to delve deep, and to eventually be brave enough to study abroad, once in Ormskirk, England, and again to fulfill part of my student teaching practicum in Darwin, Australia. (Here is yet another irony of life. When I was in England I sent my parents the largest Christmas card I could find. It took more than the usual amount of time to be delivered. My father had sent me an email explaining that once they received it there was a sticker on the envelope explaining it was missent to Australia, and he asked if that is where I wanted to go next. I reassured him I did not. A year a half later I landed in Australia’s Northern Territory after having applied to student teach in Ireland.)

Getting a career right out of Ashland did not happen. I spent two years substitute teaching at my former high school (a surreal experience as I could now call my teachers by their first names) as well as a lot of time working at Barnes & Noble doing everything except reading. In the summer of 2014 I applied, near the end of the summer, to a high school 34 miles away, in a former pottery town, that I had never heard of. My last ditch effort at a teaching job became a God-send as I could not have asked for a nicer place to start my career in teaching. It is not well-known, nor particularly affluent, but I have some of the best colleagues and students any teacher could ever have asked for.

Since I’ve been in teaching, I have started on my Masters in English with a Professional and Technical Writing focus, building on the foundation started at Ashland. I feel very fortunate to have had the experiences, educational and otherwise, provided to me during my five years at Ashland.

MFA Residency Begins Today

Our Master of Fine Arts summer residency begins today, during which MFA students and faculty convene for all manner of literary and educational activity. Click here for the schedule of events, many of which are free and open to the public. Join us on campus and in the community for one or more events!

Alumni Spotlight: Mercedes (McGee) Over

By Mercedes (McGee) Over, class of 2014, Integrated Language Arts major

Currently, I teach 11th and 12th grade English at Pioneer Career and Technology Center in Shelby, Ohio. This position is my first full-time teaching job, and it has been one of the hardest yet most rewarding jobs I have ever had. Now that I am about to embark on my fourth year of teaching, I am starting to feel more confident in my abilities and I am excited to see what the future holds as I continue to teach and further my own education.

To explain where it all began, my teaching journey actually started prior to attending Ashland University. During my senior year of high school I had the opportunity to take Teaching Professions at Penta Career Center and this program helped me to decide what subject and grade level I wanted to pursue. From there I was able to select the undergraduate institution that was right for me. I visited Ashland knowing that it was one of the best schools in the state of Ohio to prepare educators, but I soon fell in love with the English Department due to the outstanding faculty members and their ability to engage students in their classes and learning materials.

Mercedes (McGee) Over and Andrew Over

While taking these classes and sitting in on multiple intellectual discussions about literature, culture, and writing techniques, I felt inspired to take that insight and share it with others. So towards the end of my undergraduate experience, it seemed like I was fully prepared to take on teaching at the high school level; however, I have since realized that just because I am inspired by the thematic implications in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein that does not automatically mean that others share that same passion.

As I have continued to grow in my teaching career, I often think back on those times when I was taking my English courses at AU. The professors had a way of making students feel invested in the material, and this has made me think, “What can I do to get my students motivated?” This thought has led to the creation of so many activities and assessments for my classroom, and now I am getting the chance to go even further with the addition of technology and devices.

Most recently I have become a leader for technology integration by being involved with the implementation of Chromebook devices for the students at my school. Throughout this process I have explored a variety of online tools and programs, and I have educated myself through technology workshops and conferences. With acquiring all of this newly-found knowledge I have even had the ability to share my findings with other members on the staff. At this point my credentials and experiences continue to expand, and with this expansion I believe that I will continue to do well in my contributions to the field of education.

Welcome Lindsay Brandon-Smith, Our New Administrative Assistant

Lindsay Brandon-Smith has recently joined the Ashland University staff as the Administrative Assistant for the departments of English, Foreign Languages, Philosophy, and Religion. We are so happy to have Lindsay on our team, and we know that our campus community will benefit from her work in this role. Get to know Lindsay Brandon-Smith in the brief interview below!

HD: Welcome to Ashland! Where are you coming from?
LB-S: My family recently moved to Ashland from Nappanee, Indiana, a town of about 6,000 in northeastern Indiana Amish country. I laugh when people ask how we are adjusting to small town life in Ashland because Ashland is so much bigger than where we came from! We lived and worked in Nappanee for about 18 years. I worked for 11 years as the Office Assistant and for 2 years as the Adult Programming Manager at the Nappanee Public Library.


HD: Could you talk about being originally from Ohio and your familiarity with the Ashland campus?
LB-S: Although we spent the last 18 years in Indiana, my husband and I were both born and raised in northwestern Ohio. We attended Malone University in Canton, Ohio, which is where we met. I grew up in the Brethren church and my grandfather attended Ashland Seminary, so I have fond memories stretching back to early elementary school of Ashland, the Seminary, and the AU campus. As a teen, I attended conferences at AU and as an adult I spent a week every summer here, chaperoning at the Brethren National Youth Conference, Engage. Though we are new Ashland residents, we are not unfamiliar with town or AU, so that's made it feel like home.


HD: Which aspects of your job are you most excited about so far?
LB-S: I'm really excited to be at AU. I'm looking forward to meeting all the new people I'll be working with and to the energy and life on campus once the students return in the Fall.


HD: Would you like to share anything about your family or personal interests?
LB-S: My husband, Ryan, and I have been married for almost 19 years. Ryan has an epic beard that is his pride and joy. He works across the street at the Brethren National Office, so you may see him around campus now and then. Ryan and I have one daughter, Liliana (Lily), who is 11 years old and will be starting middle school this Fall. She enjoys reading graphic novels and can't wait to get her library card. She loves to draw, dance, and sing, and though she won't admit it, she's a great writer. In my free time I enjoy being creative. It's rare that there is a craft project I cannot do, but my favorite creative outlet is sewing. I make a lot of my own clothing and some for my daughter as well. Even after purging a lot of it to prepare for our move, my fabric stash is embarrassingly large.