(This week The Columbian-Progress spotlights new Advertising Consultant Ashley Clark.)
Q: When and where were you born?
A: I was born here March 17, 1981.
Q: Where did you attend school?
A: I graduated from Columbia High School.
Q: Where do you work? Tell us about your job/company.
A: I recently joined The Columbian-Progress as an advertising consultant. I call on our advertising accounts, reach out to our business owners in the community and selling ads.
Q: What led you to your profession?
A: I’ve been in sales before as a hospice representative. I’ve always liked this type of work because I get to go out in the community and mingle with people. I was born and raised here so I know a lot of the people here, and I like to meet new people.
Q: What do you enjoy most about your job?
A: I like the challenge. It’s something different, and it’s different faces every day. Getting out and being able to talk to people at businesses I didn’t even know about is rewarding. I like the contact with different people.
Q: What was your first job?
A: My very first job I ever had was when I was 16, and I worked as a cashier at Winn Dixie. All throughout high school I worked at Jack’s Sandwich Shop by the movies.
Q: Who is the person who has been most influential in your life?
A: My mom, Jackie Stuckey, for sure. She just had a high school diploma when she married my dad. When I was in the third grade she decided she was going to go to college with three small kids. She went to (Pearl River Community College) for two years then went onto USM to get her nursing degree. She went through nursing school and graduated at the top of the class with three small kids. She had been out of school for years when she decided to go to college, so it showed me there’s no excuse as to why you can’t better yourself or make something of yourself. It doesn’t matter if you come from a broken family or have kids; there’s no excuse. She’s a nurse practitioner now after spending 14 years as an ER nurse. I learned how to be strong and stand on my own two feet because of her.
Q: If you could relive one day from your life, which day would you choose?
A: If I could relive that moment when both of my boys were born when you hear them cry for the first time, then they hand them to you. Nothing beats that in the world.
Q: Do you have children?
A: Cameron is 16, and Myles is 11.
Q: If you could have anything for your last meal on earth, what would it be?
A: I don’t get to eat it as much because I’m trying to be healthier, but the greasiest, fattest cheeseburger from Southern Fried Rabbit.
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
A: I’ve always wanted to go to Ireland. A lot of people say it’s not what you see on the postcards, but for some reason I just get this feeling I want to go there. The grass looks so green, and I want to go to every Irish pub and experience that culture.
Q: What hobbies do you like to do in your spare time?
A: Having boys it’s always a sport. I love being in the bleachers and screaming for my kids. I make a complete fool out of myself and probably embarrass them so much, but it’s the highlight. I also like to go to the gym. I started in February when I decided to be healthier. When I got into the routine of it, it pretty much got addicting.
Q: What do you enjoy about living and working in Columbia and Marion County?
A: I like the small hometown feel. Everybody knows everybody. You can’t go to Walmart, you can’t go out to eat and you can’t go here or there without knowing somebody. I like that.
Q: If you could have lunch with anyone from your life or history, who would it be and why?
A: Lucille Ball from “I Love Lucy.” If she is as funny and silly as she was on the show, I’d love to spend time with her because that’s pretty much my personality. I’d like to enjoy somebody who is like me.
Q: Would you rather read a good book or watch a good movie?
A: I’d rather read a good book.
Q: What moment in your life has had the biggest impact on you?
A: Becoming a mother has had the biggest impact throughout my life, but it has been ongoing through different stages.
Q: What would be the No. 1 thing on your Bucket List?
A: I’m a huge Alabama fan, and I have never seen an Alabama game in Tuscaloosa. I’d like to go to a game.
Q: How would you describe your morals?
A: Honesty, loyalty and how you treat people says a lot. I like to make other people feel good about themselves because you don’t know what they’re dealing with day to day. If you can offer a person one small compliment, it can make a difference. I like to build others up because it’s rewarding to me to know I helped somebody else feel good about themselves.
Q: How would you like to be remembered?
A: I want people to think of me as a person who made me feel good about myself and made me laugh.
— Joshua Campbell
Pictured Above: Ashley Clark joined The Columbian-Progress team this week as an advertising consultant. “Getting out and being able to talk to people at businesses I didn’t even know about is rewarding. I like the contact with different people. ” she said. | Photo by Mark Rogers
