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Dental Hygienist changes careers, becomes USC’s top tourism and hospitality student  

A few years ago, Ashley Richburg thought she had life all figured out. She was 26, graduated from technical college, and pursuing a successful career as dental hygienist living in Columbia, S.C.

But that all changed one morning. In between a routine rinse and spit, a patient looked up at Ashley and asked her a seemingly harmless question.  

“She asked me what I really wanted for a career,” said Ashley, now 28. “I was a bit taken back by the question, but even more surprised with the honest answer I gave her.”

Ashley told the woman her childhood dream was to one day open a bed and breakfast – a gorgeous property along the beach in Costa Rica or some other far off developing country. Suddenly it hit her – she was in the wrong career.

So in 2011 Ashley left her job as a licensed dental hygienist and walked onto the University of South Carolina campus and retold her dream in the USC admissions office.

“I had no idea what my major would be,” said Ashley.  

She started to explain her past work in restaurants, hotels and resorts, positions she had held before moving into the dental field at age 23. She described a dream career of working around people every day, taking care of guests, and a life where she wouldn’t be confined to a specific daily routine.

The admissions officer asked Ashley if she had ever considered a degree in hospitality management. The rest, as they say, is history.

As a student at USC’s School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management, Ashley has thrived. So much so that in the summer of 2012 she was selected for a highly competitive five-month restaurant management internship in Thailand.

“Getting international experience was tops on my list, so that really was the perfect experience for me,” said Ashley, who credits professor Rich Harrill and internship director Amy Jackson with making the Thailand experience a reality.  

The internship took Ashley from USC to the other side of the world working at the Aleenta Resort, an award-winning luxury five star beach property in Phang Nga, Thailand. She waited tables and served guests, but also had the opportunity to work alongside management and even suggest new operational ideas.

“It’s not uncommon for venues abroad to bring in people from the states, or other Westernized countries, to help implement routines, structure and organization,” said Ashley.

“When I first arrived to the resort it was me learning about their way of doing things. I had to gain their respect and trust. But by the end of the internship, I was in a position to make suggestions to management in regard to flow and operations.”

In February 2013, Ashley was recognized as one of South Carolina’s top tourism and hospitality students at the SC Governor’s Conference. She was presented the “Outstanding Travel & Tourism Award” from the SC Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism (SCPRT), an honor that came with a plaque and scholarship hand delivered by South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.

Ashley says her end goal is still owning that bed in breakfast in a developing country. To get there, she plans on first working for a hotel or resort in a corporate setting.

“It’s all about a path towards ownership. It’s about following this dream that I’m starting to finally make a reality.”

Ashley Richburg is a Columbia, S.C native. She is a new member of the Phi Sigma Theta National Honors Society and is scheduled to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management from the University of South Carolina in May 2014.