Ashton Ayres has been a constant piece of SMSU for the past five years as an undergrad student, Graduate student and Assistant Director of Student Activities. Ayres has a great connection to the community of SMSU and the Marshall area.  

Ashton first started at SMSU as an undergrad majoring in Political Science. He later got involved with many of the clubs SMSU has to offer and became an important member to many of them. He was a SAFAC Chair member, an RHA Executive and even the Student Body President.  

He is appreciative of the experiences that has come from his involvement with those clubs he said, “Over the five years I’ve been here, I think the best and most rewarding experience has been my work in the various areas of student government.” On top of being fun, “it all has been beneficial toward my goals of public leadership experience,” Ayres said.  

All of this stemmed from one decision, the decision to come to SMSU, He came here due to it being near his home and he said, “I liked the small class setting that was similar to my experience in high school.” 

After his completion of his Undergraduate he decided to pursue further education at SMSU and is currently finishing his Graduate program in Business Administration as a Graduate Assistant. 

The transition from Undergrad to Grad seems like a daunting task but for Ashton he said, “Broadly, it didn’t feel like a transition at all. I still got to work in similar capacities with the same groups as I did in my undergrad while still being able to have fun and make memories with my friends.”  

Ashton has high praise for the Grad Program at SMSU, he says, “I would highly recommend the pursuit of a master’s degree at SMSU, especially if there is a degree of interest to you.” Not just for the education but also for the faculty he shares that they’ve “been outstanding to work with and learn from. They are the greatest advocates for your success and want to see you develop and grow both in and out of the classroom.” 

The main transition for Ayres being the daily workload from his position as Assistant Director of Student Center. Also, the change from class work in his Political Science classes to his business courses.  

His position as staff has given him many new responsibilities, mainly him being the main contact person for clubs and organizations here at SMSU. He says, about his responsibilities, “This could be anything from training, assisting with event management, advising interpersonal conflict, assisting in the creation of new clubs, and the development of budgets.”  

“I believe my relationship with the Assistant Director of Student Activities, Scott Ewing, best prepared me for this role as I had gotten to assist in many of the processes that he supervised.” He says, showing his appreciation for the past Assistant Director of Student Activities, “Without this experience, I do not think I would have been able to handle this additional role.” 

Though it’s a lot of work, Ashton likes to focus on the Brightside of his role. His most fond moments on staff have come from working with the Student Activities Committee (SAC). One event that positively stands out to him is homecoming, he says, “Homecoming was one of the busiest times of the year with the many events that happen throughout the week especially the management of the Homecoming Royalty and the parade itself.” 

After SMSU Ashton has big plans to put all he’s learned to use, He finishes up by saying, “I have always been interested in working for the public and serving my community. So, my goal after SMSU is to find a local community that I can help manage in a city administrator or city clerk role. As of now, I am uncertain whether I would want to stray further into the political realm by running for election or not.” 

With all this keeping Ashton busy, he still finds time to connect with the community on campus. You can find him at many SAC events throughout the week and at the weekly International Coffee Hour put on by the CIE.