SCOOBA — East Mississippi Community College social sciences instructor Ashley Walker has been named the college’s 2025 Humanities Teacher of the Year.

 

Each year the Mississippi Humanities Council presents Humanities Teacher of the Year awards to humanities faculty at each of the state’s colleges and universities. Walker and the other recipients will be recognized this year during an awards gala March 28 in Jackson.

 

“I have the privilege of working with a phenomenal group of instructors at EMCC and to be chosen for this award is both humbling and an honor,” Walker said.

 

As part of her award, Walker will receive $400. She has been invited to present a lecture, which will take place March 6 at noon in the board dining room of the F.R. Young Student Union on EMCC’s Scooba campus.

 

Walker’s presentation, “Reviving Civic Duty: The Role of Education in Democracy?” is free and open to the public. EMCC students, faculty and staff are also encouraged to attend. In the presentation, Walker will discuss the role education plays in encouraging democratic values and a sense of civic duty among students.

 

“The state of Mississippi is one of the 10 states that does not teach civics in junior high, in high school or in some colleges,” Walker said. “In my presentation, I will talk about how we could be a more informed group of citizens and how to incorporate civics back into the classroom.”

 

Scooba campus Division Chairperson for Humanities and Fine Arts DeLisa Brand said Walker is deserving of the recognition.

 

“Ms. Walker has compassion for her students, one of the most important attributes of being a good instructor,” Brand said. “She is dedicated to her work, and we are glad to have her at EMCC.”

 

A Gautier, native who currently resides in Newton, Walker has worked for EMCC since January 2012. She earned both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Arts in Teaching Community College, with 18 credit hours in history, from Mississippi State University’s Meridian campus. In 2019, she earned an additional 18 credit hours in sociology from MSU Meridian.

 

Walker teaches U.S. History I and II, Introduction to Sociology and Survey of African American History on EMCC’s Scooba campus.

 

“My mom was a middle school history teacher, and that’s kind of what led me into teaching,” Walker said. “I enjoyed listening to her stories about teaching and how she made a positive impact on her students.”

 

In October 2023, Walker was named EMCC’s recipient of the Raleigh Wood III Memorial Employee of the Month award.

 

In her spare time, she enjoys reading and visiting historical sites and museums. One of her most recent trips was a tour of the Mississippi Museum of History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum in Jackson.

 

“I enjoy any kind of museum,” she said. “For one of my next destinations, I really want to go see the Smithsonian’s Civil Rights museum in Washington, D.C.”