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Ashley Boalch | Miss DC 2011
Education: The University of Maryland
Talent: Vocal Platform: Empowering Our Youth Ashley Boalch is a dynamic and outgoing woman with an entrepreneurial spirit. On July 10, 2011, she was crowned the 2011 Miss District of Columbia winner in the Miss America Scholarship Organization. On January 14, 2012, Ashley competed in the Miss America Pageant, and received the pageant’s first John Curran Journalism Award for her interview skills.
Ashley is a senior Communication major at the University of Maryland. She has held multiple marketing internships including at RGM Graphics, and currently at Monument Realty. |
In November, Ashley had the opportunity to visit Mogadishu, Somalia with the Monument team to look at potential building sites for accommodating aid workers in the impoverished country. One of the highlights of the trip was having the opportunity to interact with young Somali children; even though they did not have adequate shoes on their feet or proper-fitting clothes on their bodies, there were still smiles on their bright faces. Since returning back to the United States, Ashley has a new appreciation for the life she has been blessed to lead. The extreme poverty and horrendous living conditions left a strong impression on the young woman that will last forever.
Ashley has also been recognized for her academic achievements. She has received the Dr. Harry Harden Award for Academic Excellence, which recognizes African American students with a 3.5 GPA or higher. She also received the Award for Academic Excellence in Women’s Studies for her avid interest in the area of women’s studies.
Since winning her crown, Ashley is active within the DC community, including becoming an ambassador for the Children’s Miracle Network, and has raised funds for Children’s Medical Center in Washington, D.C. She also volunteers with the Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship, working to combat the 49% high school dropout rate in the nation’s capital by instilling the principles of entrepreneurship in inner city youths.
As Miss District of Columbia 2011 and a product of a strong single-parent family, Ashley hopes that her experiences and success will allow her to be a role model to other young people similar to herself. Ashley envisions that her legacy in the Miss America Organization will be exemplifying that anything is possible, and hopefully inspiring another young person to pursue his or her dream.
Ashley has also been recognized for her academic achievements. She has received the Dr. Harry Harden Award for Academic Excellence, which recognizes African American students with a 3.5 GPA or higher. She also received the Award for Academic Excellence in Women’s Studies for her avid interest in the area of women’s studies.
Since winning her crown, Ashley is active within the DC community, including becoming an ambassador for the Children’s Miracle Network, and has raised funds for Children’s Medical Center in Washington, D.C. She also volunteers with the Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship, working to combat the 49% high school dropout rate in the nation’s capital by instilling the principles of entrepreneurship in inner city youths.
As Miss District of Columbia 2011 and a product of a strong single-parent family, Ashley hopes that her experiences and success will allow her to be a role model to other young people similar to herself. Ashley envisions that her legacy in the Miss America Organization will be exemplifying that anything is possible, and hopefully inspiring another young person to pursue his or her dream.