Michelena Sets Up Life in Final Season for Rams
Mentoring qualities transfer from diamond to classroom.
For some, the life of a student-athlete ends after senior year.
But for Colorado State outfielder Ashley Michelena, she decided to put a new meaning to the term.
With her graduation from CSU, Michelena had a choice to make. She knew she wanted to pursue an additional degree in Early Childhood Education, but she would have a lot on her plate.
After gaining an additional year of eligibility due to COVID, head coach Jen Fisher was determined to see the graduate student flourish in the outfield for one additional season.
“We wanted to see if there was any way possible (to make this work), because we love Ashley so much,” Fisher said. “We wanted her to try to utilize her COVID fifth year, so we said, ‘Ashley, we want you back, is there anything that makes sense for you academically that you would want to do for your fifth year?’ So, she started researching and she’s been thinking about it for a while. When she said, ‘yeah I think the Early Childhood Master’s degree would be a good one,’ we started thinking about how we would manage that.”
It’s no secret why the coaching staff coveted her return. During her four years as a Ram, she held a .319 career batting average and accumulated 25 stolen bases for the team.
Also, serving as the leadoff batter and displaying a positive leadership style, everyone buckled down to make this work.
“She’s the type of person that for four years she never missed, she was never late, she barely had any injuries, which is rare,” Fisher said. “She had a couple little things that kept her out, but she was the person who participated fully with 100% focus every single day. So I think it’s easier when you have somebody who has been that type of a player to say, ‘look I know your practices are going to be shorter but we will figure out a way to get you your reps and get you what you need.’”
So, with the permission and support of Fisher, Michelena found herself in the classroom learning about the classroom dynamic before she took it on.
During her spring semester, she met second-grade teacher Erin Gallegos, who loved having Ashley’s energy in her classroom.
“Even in observation, she was very friendly off the bat,” Gallegos said. “She engaged in a really positive manner with kids. I was very impressed with the initiative she took. She asked a lot of questions about the classroom and about second grade and she showed an interest in day-to-day happenings.”
The application process for a more permanent position began the summer after she graduated, where she looked for opportunities close to CSU’s campus to make the commute easier.
But luckily for her, Gallegos had a proposition for her. She wanted Michelena to teach in her classroom.
“CSU has great help and everything,” Michelena said. “I knew the teacher I’m student teaching for through my boyfriend; she was his second-grade teacher. I kinda had an in through that and the program helps you out, but connections in town help me out a lot, too.”
Ashley has a lot of energy and has always been a very, very focused, energetic, and positive person. It really helped reassure me when we started discussing it that she would be able to handle it.Jen Fisher
And for her, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to make all of her passions into something manageable.
Which didn’t come without a price. She found herself having to be an expert of time management. She would start her morning at 5 a.m., in the weight room and by 7:30, she was in front of the classroom at Kruse Elementary, before rushing back to the field for practice with the rest of her team.
“She is doing amazingly well,” Fisher said. “Ashley has a lot of energy and has always been a very, very focused, energetic, and positive person. It really helped reassure me when we started discussing it that she would be able to handle it. She really loves kids and she’s doing a fantastic job balancing everything. I couldn’t ask for any better time management or communication.”
In every aspect of her life, Michelena took on her responsibilities without complaint.
With not only her coaches, teammates and family impressed with her work ethic and determination, her work in the classroom sets her apart.
Gallegos finds herself in awe of Michelena’s commitment to athletics as well as her education.
“I’m amazed,” Gallegos said. “She handles it really gracefully and has a real go-get-‘em attitude. She’s super busy and goes to weights in the morning, then comes to school, and then goes directly to practice afterwards. She’s definitely organized but she’s very driven to do a good job at everything she does.”
Not only does Michelena’s discipline show drive, but she possesses a lot of traits to make her excel in childhood education.
Right away, Gallegos saw the potential Michelena had, which only grew as she watched her student flourish in the classroom.
“She has ability to develop relationships with kids; she’s a quick learner,” Gallegos said. “She really watches and is very aware and trying things and putting them into practice. She takes a lot of initiative to watch and learn and execute those things.”
Michelena’s ability to reach kids will help her, and the Rams, on the field this year. It’s a roster filled with new faces, so her leadership skills will serve her well as the dugout becomes her second classroom.
This year, CSU is seeing eight new faces on their roster, seven of which are freshmen. And with Michelena leading the way, Fisher is hopeful for what the new season will bring for the Rams.
“We have two new assistant coaches,” Fisher said. “I’m hoping we’re going to see a lot more fight out of our offense and a lot more grittiness, and I think another thing that’s been important to our team is there’s a real closeness and family atmosphere. There’s eight new people to the team and I think there’s a closeness among them that I haven’t seen before. It’s very exciting.”
The hardest part for Michelena is keeping herself disciplined and holding herself accountable. With not only starting her mornings early, she feels responsible to lead the team as well as be present for the kids she teaches.
But Fisher knows Michelena adds so much to the team, she’s willing to work with her.
“She’s such a good leader, she knows the game really well,” Fisher said. “One great way to say it is she’s our leadoff batter. The leadoff batter is typically the spark plug. She’s the person to get the offense fired up and who is one of your best base runners, which she is. She’s one of our best students of the game. When she gets up in that leadoff position, she’s reporting back to the team what she’s seeing, what the pitcher has, how we can strategize to beat them. On top of that, her defense is really amazing, she just gets great reads in the outfield and she’s a great leader. She’s just exceptional and she’s a really great vocal leader for us.”
And with Michelena leading the team in the lineup and the outfield, the Rams are set up for a successful 2022 season.