For Ashley Hanks, the path to becoming an award-winning educator was anything but planned. In fact, for most of her college years, she was convinced she would spend her career helping people manage their finances, not teaching students how to discover their passions.
Today, Hanks, an Anderson graduate and Belton-Honea Path High School business teacher, and computer science instructor has been recognized as Teacher of the Year, an honor made even more meaningful because it came from the people who know her work best: her fellow educators.
“Honored is an understatement,” Hanks said of her recognition. “There are so many wonderful teachers on this campus. Just to be nominated is beyond me, but to be voted by my peers is just an honor that can’t be explained.”
What makes her story particularly compelling is that teaching was never part of the original plan.
Hanks grew up in a home where business was a family affair. Her mother worked as a chief financial officer and her father owned a business. Dinner table conversations revolved around budgets, management and entrepreneurship, and Hanks expected to follow a similar path. She earned a business degree from Anderson University in 2005 and even turned down a job with a financial firm during her senior year.
Then life took an unexpected turn.
After graduation, Hanks accepted a position at Anderson University. What she thought would be a temporary stop became a transformative experience. Working alongside mentors such as Dr. Carol Karnes and Dr. Danny Mynatt, she saw education from a different perspective. Their commitment to students showed her that teaching was about far more than academics.
A defining moment came when students began visiting her office, sharing their feelings of uncertainty about their futures.
“They were in a panic because what they thought they wanted to do in life wasn’t necessarily what they wanted anymore,” Hanks recalled. Watching that anxiety unfold convinced her that students needed guidance much earlier in their educational journey.
Then came a series of emails from a former principal at Belton-Honea Path, the school she had graduated from in 2001. The message was simple: there was a teaching opportunity, and they believed she would be a perfect fit. Hanks could not stop thinking about the students she wanted to help.
She took the leap and never looked back.
Today, Hanks teaches business and computer science classes with a philosophy shaped by her own unconventional journey. Rather than focusing solely on grades or finished products, she encourages students to explore what genuinely excites them.
“When students work on things they love, that’s where the true ownership takes place,” she said. Whether they are designing websites, building apps, or creating programs, she believes learning happens best when students have a personal connection to their work.
Her commitment to students is rooted in community as much as education. Returning to teach at the school where she once sat as a student carries special meaning. BHP serves both Belton and Honea Path, and many of the educators in the district are graduates themselves. Hanks now works alongside friends she has known nearly her entire life.
“It’s a special place working in the community in which you grew up,” she said.
That strong sense of connection has defined much of her life. At Anderson University, Hanks competed on the Women’s Tennis Team, earned numerous academic honors, and participated in a community revitalization project through a HUD grant that helped residents of the Reed Street community in the city of Anderson envision a brighter future. The experience deepened her belief in the power of investing in people and communities.
Now, years later, that same investment is visible in her classroom.
When asked what advice she would give young people considering a career in teaching, Hanks says, “Do it. Do not hesitate. It is truly a privilege for us to wake up every morning and choose to be joyful.”
For Hanks, teaching is more than a profession. It’s an opportunity to help students see possibilities they may not yet see in themselves.
“We are a profession that creates professions,” she said.
That belief, combined with her passion for students and her hometown roots, helps explain why her colleagues selected her as Teacher of the Year. The award recognizes excellence in the classroom, but Hanks’ story reveals something deeper: a woman who found her own purpose by helping others discover theirs.