ashley rhodes-courter
Ashley Rhodes-Courter was born in North Carolina in 1985 and entered foster care in 1989. Over the next nine years, she lived in 14 placements before being adopted at age 12 by Phil and Gay Courter of Crystal River, Florida.
In 2003, the New York Times Magazine published her grad prize winning essay (out of 3000 high school entries) about her adoption day. She expanded her essay into a memoir, Three Little Words, which has just been published by Simon & Schuster.
Ashley graduated from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida in 2008. She was the recipient of Eckerd's Trustee's Scholarship, their most prestigious full-tuition award. She has won several other national and local scholarships. She completed a double major in communications and drama with a double minor in political science and psychology.
In 2007 she was one of 20 college students selected for the USA Today All-USA Academic Team. She also was one of the four GOLDEN BR!CK Award winners for outstanding advocacy by Do Something, and was named one of Glamour Magazine's Top Ten College Women.
Ashley has been featured on Montel Williams, Good Morning America, and other national and local television shows. She has spoke to over 100 audiences nation-wide. She has a passion to tell her story and share hope with other foster children and encourage adoption and permanency.
For more speakers on adoption, see: Ann Fessler
For more speakers on young feminist activism, see: Shelby Knox, Third Wave Foundation, Periel Aschenbrand, Guerilla Girls, Jennifer Baumgardner, Nancy Lublin, Angela Rose, Amy Richards
