Riverside: When life threw Ashlee Gentry hurdles, she jumped
Ashlee Gentry began hurdle training in middle school and has tackled her own life in much the same manner – one obstacle at a time.
Once living in a home filled with the by-products of addiction, Gentry has forged past these roadblocks, in part due to her focus on athletics and faith. She now hopes to pay forward the same gifts of encouragement and support she has received from others by working as a math teacher.
Taken under the wings of maternal grandparents Anne and Jim Gentry during her junior year of high school, Gentry is a go-getter who sets the bar high. “I like being involved in sports,” said Gentry, who volunteers at two Deer Park area churches while also serving as a leader for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, an organization that encourages good sportsmanship on and off the field.
“I try to just provide a safe place for Christians and even non-Christians to come together if they have questions or they want to talk about something,” she said. A multisport athlete, Gentry earned a position on the Riverside High School coed wrestling squad as a junior and managed the boys team as a senior.
“I loved it. I’ve never had brothers. I have five sisters. It was a hoot,” she said. “I really enjoyed the coaching. It just felt like a family and I knew I was welcome there.”
Riverside teacher and coach Kris Daratha has been one of Gentry’s biggest cheerleaders, calling her a “pretty wonderful student.”
“She is super dedicated. It’s amazing to see when she sets her mind to something. She’s always going after it 110%,” Daratha said. “She’s captain of the track team. She was captain of the cross-country team … she’s a youth group leader … always giving back to a community.”
Throughout her years at Riverside, Gentry also has been inspired by teacher Mary Ressa and coach Tyler Rohrman.
Proud grandma Anne Gentry spoke highly of them all.
“They saw all of these strengths in this young woman. They saw all of her gifts and they weren’t going to let it slide,” Anne Gentry said. “They weren’t going to let her blame anybody else, they were just going to help her flourish and succeed.
“It only takes one adult to save a kid.”
Gentry plans to attend Grand Canyon University where she will major in education with a minor in ministry.
“The coaches and the teachers that I’ve had have just really been a huge impact on my life, that saving grace that I needed at that point,” Gentry said. “For kids who are troubled, you don’t have that at home. You get to go to school and that’s your escape and that’s your hope, that teachers care enough for you … and they all cared enough for me.
“I couldn’t thank them all enough. I want to be able to make that kind of impact on people.”