Ashley Johnson loves to travel. Some of her favorite journeys have been trips to Cuba, Costa Rica, and South Africa. She also loves her nearly annual trips to Manchester, England, to visit family members who live there—often around the Christmas and New Year’s holiday season.
So it’s fitting that this native of Pittsburgh spends her working days guiding students through the seminary journey. As the associate director of student services at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, Ashley provides administrative support in areas of student programming, housing, registration, and placement after graduation. Depending on the week, she might be helping students connect to the Registrar or Financial Aid offices, writing and sending student newsletters, helping with housing-related concerns, assisting students with post-graduation placement opportunities, or planning student activities like orientation, end-of-semester stress relief, or one of the Seminary’s new hybrid gatherings.
Supporting the Student Experience
“My role is primarily the administrative support for the student experience, and for student activities to happen,” she says. “By ensuring student programming goes smoothly, we are nurturing students’ growth and spiritual formation.”
As the Seminary moves to a new hybrid modality of learning, Ashley is part of the implementation team for the 2.5-day hybrid gatherings where all students will be on campus twice per semester to participate in classroom learning, worship, experiential learning, and fellowship. The first gathering took place earlier this month, and the next will be in October. Along with the rest of the team, Ashley ensures that the Seminary is prepared to host students in a different, more concentrated way. She admits that the hybrid cohort style model is new for everyone, but she is looking forward to caring for students in this way.
Walking with Students from Enrollment to Graduation
For Ashley, the most rewarding aspect of working at PTS is witnessing students’ growth up close for the two or more years they are enrolled. Prior to her current role, Ashley worked in admissions at PTS, where she has been employed since 2018. In all, she has nearly 10 years of experience in student-centered roles within higher education.
“I love the excitement of meeting students during the admissions process or at our orientation, which just happened, and getting to know them during their time here as students, and all the way to graduation and where they go next,” she says. “Seeing how they grow and are shaped along the way is so rewarding.”
Last year, one of Pittsburgh Seminary’s graduating students recalled first meeting Ashley as her admissions counselor. As she continued in her seminary journey, and Ashley moved into student services, the student felt as if every step of the way, up to and through graduation, Ashley was right there cheering her on.
A Caring Guide for the Journey
“I really like working at the Seminary because our students have come here with a higher purpose in mind,” Ashley says. And as someone who made a vocational shift from what she went to school for and what she ended up doing as a professional, she has a lot in common with many PTS students. “I tell students all the time that they’re not alone. A lot of people make these career shifts, go back to school after a time away, and end up doing something new and different with their lives.”
Sometimes changing careers or going back to school creates feelings of anxiety, even if we are excited to go somewhere we’ve never been before. Much like traveling on a journey, it helps to have a calm and empathetic tour guide going with us. For PTS students, that non-anxious presence is Ashley Johnson. And she’s ready to be with them—and you—for every step in the seminary journey.
Top image: Fusterlandia (Jose Fuster) Art Gallery, Havana, Cuba (2017)