What is your full name?
Ashley Rosenberger
What is your job title with Au Sable?
Admissions Manager
How did you get involved with Au Sable?
I attended Au Sable while I was a student at Messiah University (College when I attended)! I did a J-term at Au Sable Great Lakes, a summer session at Pacific Rim, and a J-term class at Au Sable India. My husband (also an Au Sable alumni) and I stayed connected to Au Sable after we graduated, and was therefore excited about the position posting for the Admissions Manager in 2021. I am so grateful to now be working, in this role, for Au Sable. It feels like a gift as I continue to be grateful for my time at Au Sable and love working with the staff at Au Sable.
What excites you most about Au Sable?
Knowing how impactful my time was at Au Sable, what excites me most is knowing students will have the same opportunity to learn, grow, and be inspired by their time at Au Sable to do good work for God's kingdom and make a difference. I also get excited about students being able to be a part of our community, as the communities that are formed at Au Sable are unlike none other!
What is something you have recently learned about serving, protecting, or restoring God's Earth?
I recently re-learned/was reminded that we try to do what we can because we are in the business of being faithful not because we will solve every world issue. So, you pick up the trash when you see it outside, you pay a little more for sustainable sourced foods, you take an extra ten minutes to walk to the store, not because those things are going to save the planet but because they are ways that I can be faithful to my calling as a steward of God's good earth.
What is one practice that helps you to take care of the earth?
One thing my husband and I have been working on and challenging our kids (and extended family!) with is reducing the plastic waste in our lives. Plastic has such a long lifespan, often just sitting in landfills or the oceans needlessly, so we are working at saying no to plastic, shopping intentionally for our food, and trying to replace the plastic we could easily have in our lives with alternatives. It's been challenging (especially at Christmas time!) but it's necessary! We all need to reduce our consumption, and for me, it's easier to reduce my consumption when I have a specific goal around that, like reducing my plastic consumption and use.
What do you do for fun/in your free time?
I have three boys (Isaac, Nehemiah and Levi), and a husband (Derek) who all love nature, so we spend our time outdoors! We like to take walks with our dog Lucy, hike, travel to national parks and state parks, and my husband and I are big (competitive) birders. I want to get back into canning and making more things from scratch (yogurt, granola, bread, etc) and have that as one of my goals for 2023!
Have you read any good books lately? If so, what books?
Because my husband and I both like to bird and be out in nature finding new creatures, we often take our kids on these journeys that sometimes are filled with joy and other times not filled with joy. Eli Knapp wrote a book about his similar experiences, The Delightful Horror of Family Birding, and I loved reading this, connecting with him on his similar experiences, but also enjoyed his awe and passion for God's earth. It was a fun read. I also really like Anne Lamott and recently read Stitches, which I enjoyed a lot. My favorite author is Barbara Kingsolver, so I'm excited to read her new book!
What is your favorite natural space?
That is a hard question! I love birds, whales, and being on water. So, any place where I get to be on a boat, seeing birds and whales. My favorite place on this planet that I have been blessed to visit is Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska. That special place is full of birds and whales!