Hello, my name is Ashley Gustafson and I am a first year student at Santa Clara University in the heart of Silicon Valley.  Currently I am enrolled in the Business school there and will emerge with a Bachelor in Business Marketing.  I have always had a passion for the business industry especially public interaction in sales and marketing.  I come from a tall, fun, loud, funny, and involved family of four; I am the oldest child.  In high school I was very involved and participated in everything that I could and had an interest in.  Basketball was, and still is, my passion.  I played all four years in high school and lead my team as a captain during this time.  In addition, I was the founding member of an on campus counseling and support group called Peer Advocates.  We spent our time improving conditions on campus, presenting to our peers and providing counseling sessions to those who needed to talk.  From being involved in my school leadership class I learned a lot about leading large groups of people and how to reach the masses.  I love to lead, but I also love to follow and believe that there is always something to be learned from following and supporting others.  I cannot wait to learn more about all the wonderful and inspirational people in my Emerging Leaders class and develop more as a person!