MAGL Student Worker Feature: Ashley Cooke

Ashley Cooke began working in the Graduate School of Ministry at the beginning of the fall 2021 semester. She serves under her supervisor Cyndy Chang and is an assistant to Dr. Thomason, Director of the M.A. in Global Leadership program. As a native Texan, Ashley was born in Plano and has lived in Richardson all her life. Growing up in a Christian household, she became a Christian at the age of five when her mother shared the Gospel with her and her older brother. Ashley shares, "Even though I may not have understood everything about my faith when I was five, I have continued to pursue my relationship with the Lord since and have grown immensely in my walk with Him."

During Ashley's sophomore year of high school, she toured Dallas Baptist University and immediately fell in love with the campus. She felt this was where God was calling her to go and was committed from that point on. Ashley is now a sophomore at DBU and is pursing a degree in Studio Art with a minor in Entrepreneurship. She is very fond of the visual arts and her goal is to become a professional gallery artist. When asked why she desires to pursue the fine arts, Ashley shares, "I feel that in the last few generations, most art has been reduced to meaningless abstract concepts. I would love to benefit my society by bringing beauty and meaning back into art. I hope to create artwork that showcases God's glory and the gifts He has given me, and to bring a little bit of His light back into this dark world."

Along with visual arts, God has given Ashley a passion for the performing arts as well, specifically singing. She currently attends Calvary Chapel Dallas in Plano. Ashley serves as a lead vocalist on their worship team, a privilege she considers to be a huge honor as it allows her to be a vessel for God to bless others through worship.

If Ashley could give any encouragement to the MAGL students, she would say, "God has given each of you a specific giftset. Use these talents to bring glory to Him as you pursue the unique ministry field He has called you to. Don't give up! The Lord has you in this area for a reason and will lead and guide you through it."