Professor Lisa Ash, Wes Des Moines, has taught at DMACC for 11 years but her work did not begin in a classroom—it started in a courtroom.
Upon her high school graduation in her small hometown of Dewitt, Iowa, Ash attended a small liberal arts college called Loras College in Dubuque. There, she began to think about her educational career after college. At one point, she thought about attending graduate school and earning a PhD in English to teach.
However, that idea was short-lived as she began to explore the idea of pursuing law school. “I probably decided around freshman or sophomore year that I wanted to go to law school and become an attorney, in part, because of some amazing professors I had who encouraged me to stretch myself and try that,” said Ash.
After college, Ash began law school at the University of Iowa Law School in Iowa City. She worked hard at her education most of her life but law school came with its own set of challenges for Ash.
In the first year of law school, students do not have any exams, other than one at the end of the semester that counts as a majority of the final grade. Ash said that this was “anxiety-producing” for many students and nothing like she or her classmates had ever experienced before.
That did not stop her from doing what she had done before and working hard. Ash wanted to ensure that her journey through law school was only upward after her first semester. “After that first semester, I felt like I figured it out, and I really enjoyed what I was learning, and I knew I was in the right place because I found the cases fascinating and the analysis really interesting,” said Ash.
As Ash was presented with legal cases on a regular basis, which she had to analyze and study, she grew educationally and individually. “One of the things I took away with me is the idea to be open-minded and look at issues from every angle,” she said.
This benefitted Ash when she became a professor and an attorney after law school. Professor Ash practiced law, primarily in litigation, in Milwaukee, Chicago, and Des Moines before taking a break when she and her husband had three girls.
Once her daughters had grown older, Ash decided to enter the legal field again but she wanted to analyze her options more. She had a friend at the time who presented to her the idea of teaching law, which was something that Ash had not thought of before.
After giving that idea some thought, Ash made the decision to try it as an adjunct professor at DMACC, teaching Business Law. Eight years later, she joined DMACC’s faculty as a full-time professor and she has been here since.
To DMACC Economics Professor Susan McCoy, Ash stands out as one of the best instructors. “Lisa gives 110% to everything she takes on. She is deeply committed to ensuring that all students, whether in online or face-to-face classes, not only grasp the course concepts but actively engage with them,” she said.
During the 11 years that she has taught at DMACC, Ash has not only helped her students learn but her students have helped her learn. She said that students will frequently add new perspectives to legal issues. “You shouldn’t discount your knowledge and your ideas as a young person, because you do bring a fresh perspective and something that maybe somebody else hasn’t thought of,” she said.
As she teaches at DMACC, Ash wants to continue to impact students who come through her classroom. “My hope is that at least for a few students, I’m going to pay it forward, and I’m going to help boost their confidence and encourage them to do their best,” she said.
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