Volunteer Spotlight: Ashley DeBusk

Free Meal Turns into a New Confidence

DeBusk first joined ATPE after a colleague urged her to do so for the professional liability insurance and employment rights protection. However, she did not get involved or start volunteering with ATPE until she decided to attend a local unit meeting to take advantage of a free dinner. 

“My whole intention was just to go and listen to the meeting and enjoy a free meal,” DeBusk recalls. “While I was sitting there, I saw who showed up and realized that I knew a lot of the people there. I was like, wow, a lot of the people I work with are showing up.”

While she was initially only interested in attending the meeting for the free food, she soon found herself presented with the opportunity to get more involved. The secretary and vice president were retiring, and the local unit needed people to step in and fill the positions.

“This woman I worked with turned to me and said she would run for vice president if I ran for secretary,” remembered DeBusk. “At the time, this was really out of my comfort zone, but I decided to try it. I told myself that one year wouldn’t be that bad. Well, one year turned into two and then into three. I became really good friends with some of these people. I didn’t think I would ever be this involved with volunteering, but it has really boosted my confidence in myself.”

Helping Teachers and Building Community

As a local unit officer, Debusk believes it is important to create a community of educators that help each other. These efforts begin when Odessa ATPE members recruit new educators. When they attend their district’s new-teacher orientation, not only do they pass out information, but also they give out prizes to new members that include supplies for their classrooms.

“This last year we started holding prize drawings for each person who signed up. We had a big plastic storage crate of supplies. It included things like Expo markers, pencils, tissues, Clorox wipes, and things that they might need in their classroom. They would get to win prizes from our big tote.”

Debusk also works to organize events to give educators of all different levels and from around the region an opportunity to come together and have a good time together.

“We host a region Christmas mingle where we invite not only Odessa ATPE members but people from around the region. We also invite teacher graduates from the University of Texas–Permian Basin to come and celebrate them. The first year we held it, we had a lot of decorations and games. It was a great turnout. For our meeting in May, we do something similar where we invite UTPB graduates and people from around the area.”

Debusk believes connecting with other ATPE members at events like these or local unit meetings will benefit educators even if they do not volunteer for a specific role.

“Even if you don’t become an officer or a campus representative, just through attending meetings, you become a part of our family. This is a family that knows the struggles you are going through. You can come to a meeting and celebrate any highs that you have, and we will comfort you during whatever lows you have. [ATPE] can become a support system for you.”