Great teaching begins with connection, with seeing students for who they are, meeting them where they are, and helping them imagine the world beyond what they know. This spring, we are proud to celebrate one of our own who embodies that belief every single day.
Teresa Ashby, a kindergarten teacher at Lafayette Elementary School, has been named the Grand Prize Winner for Lancaster County in the 2025 Citadel Heart of Learning Awards. Each year, Citadel Credit Union honors educators across six counties who go above and beyond for their students and communities. Out of thousands of nominations, Teresa was selected for her impact, dedication, and heart, qualities we’ve long seen in her classroom and hallways.
For Teresa, this award is more than a moment of recognition. It’s a reflection of the students, families, and educators who have shaped her journey and the school community she now calls home. A native of Boyertown, Teresa’s path to the classroom was not always a straight line.
After high school, Teresa didn’t get into her first-choice education program and chose to pursue degrees in criminal justice and sociology instead. But something kept pulling her back. “I watched my friends become teachers and realized how much I still wanted that for myself,” she said. So she went back, earned her Master’s in Education from Cabrini, and worked her way up starting in daycare, moving through Pre-K, and eventually earning additional graduate credits in special education. As a child who once struggled with school, it was a third-grade teacher named Mrs. Gift who changed everything offering support, accountability, and belief. Years later, Teresa would return to that same classroom as a student teacher, sitting in the very seat where her own transformation began.
Today, she’s pursuing her doctorate in Educational Leadership from Alvernia University, all while balancing life as a teacher, a mom, a wife, and a baseball coach.
Her career has since spanned early childhood to college-level instruction, but it’s in kindergarten at Lafayette where she found her stride. “This is it for me,” Teresa shared. “It feels like home, these kids, these families, my coworkers. We’re a family.” That sense of belonging is something she actively fosters for her students each day.
Her approach to teaching is shaped by her own lived experiences. After moving to Lancaster with her husband and starting over in a new city, she knows what it means to build something from the ground up. It’s part of why she’s so intentional about creating space for students to feel safe, seen, and celebrated especially those who are often underestimated. “I want to help them see the world without having to leave the classroom,” she said. “They deserve the same experiences and opportunities as anyone else.”
The classroom is filled with joy, patience, and purpose. It’s where laughter is part of the learning, where hugs and high-fives are just as common as sight words and math games. “They’re in the moment,” she said of her kindergartners. “They remind me to slow down and enjoy the little things.”
For Principal Dr. Marian Grill, Teresa’s presence at Lafayette has been nothing short of transformational. “She came in mid-year and jumped right in, you would’ve thought she’d been here forever. When a kindergarten position opened, we knew she’d bring the same warmth and community-building to our youngest students. The way she connects with students, the sense of community she builds, it’s powerful. Her classroom feels like a second home for the kids.”
Teresa’s approach to teaching has always been about leading with empathy, especially for students who have faced adversity. She recalls working with a non-verbal, autistic child early in her career who helped shape her understanding of individualized care and patience. She also shared the story of a refugee student from Congo who struggled in Pre-K, only to thrive in her kindergarten class. “I don’t know what clicked,” she said. “But I treated her like I would my own child with love, hugs, and reminders that she’s worth it.”
The announcement of the Citadel Heart of Learning Award came as a complete surprise on a day when Teresa was questioning everything. “I was sitting there, having a tough morning, wondering if this was still the right path for me,” she said. “And then they called my name. It was emotional. To receive that kind of recognition in front of my students, with my work family beside me, it reminded me why I do this.”
This award may bear her name, but it’s shared with every student who’s ever felt seen in her classroom and every colleague who’s witnessed her pour her heart into this work. As she continues pursuing her doctorate in Educational Leadership, Teresa remains grounded in the same belief that carried her from that third-grade seat to the front of her own classroom: Teach with purpose, not perfection.
At Lafayette, the Heart of Learning Award feels especially significant not just for Teresa, but for the entire school community. “We’re a family,” she said. “We celebrate together, we face challenges together, and we do everything we can for our students. I’m proud to be here.”
Congratulations, Teresa! Thank you for reminding us all of the heart behind this work.
