When Ashlyn Croft enrolled in her first statistics course, she wasn't looking for a major. Taking the course led her to majoring in statistics. She appreciates that she is learning how to apply statistics in novel situations, “I adored that. It was a puzzle instead of just memorization.”
That puzzle led her to a double major in statistics and philosophy, with a minor in biology. She has a body of undergraduate work that spans applied research, community partnerships, and questions about how we know what data can tell us.
Croft is a nontraditional student who came to Iowa State after serving in the military, and she's brought that discipline to an unusually broad set of commitments.
She is working with professor and Director of Graduate Education Ulrike Genschel on City of Ames housing data. They are exploring what the data illustrates regarding the city’s residents, including Iowa State faculty and students as residents.
Within the philosophy department, Croft is working with Professor Kate Padgett Walsh. Their research is on the generational ethics of debt, research that draws directly on the statistical methodology she studies across campus.
That crossover is the point. Croft's coursework reflects the same instinct to connect disciplines. Experimental design with Laurence H. Baker Endowed Chair and Professor Peng Liu, identifying it as the single most distinctive course in her statistics training.
In philosophy, it was Philosophy of Science with Dr. Ranpal Dosanjh, a former CERN physicist, that helped reshape how she thinks about the questions underlying scientific inquiry and statistical analysis.
Beyond her own research, Croft has taken on a role few undergraduates pursue: independently building applied research opportunities for other students.
She has worked with organizations outside the department to create pipelines for undergraduate engagement, most recently coordinating behind-the-scenes tours of Reiman Gardens with Director of Entomology Nathan Brockman.
She has also launched a community development speaker series connecting students with leaders in the field of statistics.
Her community-facing work extends further. As treasurer and team lead with Statistics in the Community (STATCOM), Croft led a data project for Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC).
Their data analysis equipped the organization with data about funding and use of their food banks. Croft’s team analyzed survey data and school meal usage patterns. The team delivered future recommendations for surveys and data collection. As a result of STATCOM’s efforts, DMARC has a strengthened case in lobbying efforts for school meal programs.
Croft graduates in spring 2027 and plans to pursue graduate studies in statistics or philosophy of science, where she intends to keep her work grounded in the kind of applied, people-facing problems that have defined her undergraduate research and community building.
Croft's advice is straightforward: show up, ask questions, and talk to people – before you need anything from them. "Networking is like advertising," she says. "You do it before you need it."
She encourages students to engage with peers, professors, and campus visitors, and to get involved in clubs, group research, and auxiliary opportunities. The doors that matter most, she says, are the ones you wouldn't know to look for – and they open through the relationships you build before you know what you're looking for.