I wanted to go to school for meteorology since I was around seven-years-old; it was always my one true goal in life. I got accepted to the only college I applied to, Penn State University, and married my high school sweetheart, Brian, but everything was derailed when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Of course, I took care of him: he was with me in my dorms, bedridden after major surgeries, but eventually, I had to take a few semesters off to take care of him between the years of 2009 and 2014. He passed away in 2014 at the age of twenty-three. After he passed, I took a month off from life to just find myself. I just didn’t want to be alone: I mean I had never been alone from the time I met Brian until his passing. So I traveled to Philadelphia and State College to spend time with friends, returned home to work full-time at Target for a while, and eventually, went back to school.
I received my meteorology degree in 2014, and now I work as a route analyst within the shipping industry as a meteorologist. I guide our clients’ shipping vessels during their voyages (cross-ocean and coastal) and ensure the safety of the vessel, cargo, and most importantly, the crew, by giving them guidance and 24/7 support to reach their destinations safely. I do this by answering phone calls from the captains directly or by email, preparing route plans to avoid heavy sea conditions and tropical storms, while best limiting the amount of fuel they consume and the carbon emissions they emit into our atmosphere. This career affords me the opportunity to work from home, which I need, because my daughter was recently diagnosed with autism.
I don’t know exactly when the first thought of Scarlett having autism popped into my mind. Call it mother’s intuition, but I would say it was when I noticed that she was very interested in different textures and in touching everything around her: letters on the spine or a book or a random speck on the carpet. Eventually, she started exhibiting more typical behavior associated with autism: delays in gross motor skills, such as sitting, crawling, and walking, playing with parts of a toy instead of the toy itself, things like that. With the help of early intervention, she finally started to walk around fifteen months, but at over two years old, she still is not communicating on a level that a two-year-old should. There are no real words or sentences, just attempts at words and communication, but that’s okay! Dave and I can actually understand what she is trying to say. She has come a long way!
Life has changed significantly since her diagnosis. There are so many things we need to be more aware of or thoughtful of with her. Taking her out with us is always a leap of faith as some sounds and noises–and especially children–overstimulate her and she goes into meltdown mode. It takes a lot of patience and empathy. Until we get these particular issues ironed out, I’ve had to stop attending parties for my nieces and nephews, cousins, and other family members. Life is also much busier: we have therapy twice a week, and continual follow-ups with neurologists and autism specialists.
High-school-Ashley knew she wanted to go to PSU for meteorology and have children. High- school-Ashley, however, never ever envisioned her future to look like this. She never envisioned losing her husband to a rare bone cancer and dealing with a loss and grief that one would usually not deal with until MUCH later in life. She never envisioned that she and her child would almost die during childbirth. She certainly never envisioned her first-born child being diagnosed with special needs. With all that being said, I wouldn’t change a thing. Every single obstacle I have encountered and fought to overcome in my time on this earth has molded me into the strong and independent woman I am today. Every single thing that has happened has come with very important lessons, and I am a much better person today because of it. I especially believe what I went through with Brian prepared me for what I needed to do to advocate for my own child and her health struggles. I learned so much during that time about how important it is to advocate for yourself and loved ones in regards to our health care system. I thank him every single day for that.
Ashley Jackubowski Ellis, 2009
Maritime Route Analyst
