Ashleigh Gray Embraces Opportunity to Give Back to the Community She Calls Home

For Ashleigh Gray, Arkalalah is more than a week of events. It is a tradition she has grown up with in the community she has always called home.

A lifelong Arkansas City resident and 2025 graduate of Arkansas City High School, Gray is now experiencing Arkalalah from a different perspective. The 19-year-old Cowley College student is one of five finalists for Queen Alalah XCIV, an opportunity she describes as both an honor and a chance to become more connected to the community she has known her entire life.

“To be named as a Queen Alalah finalist is truly such an honor,” Gray said. “I’ve lived in Ark City my whole life, and I’m so excited to experience this and am so grateful for the opportunity.”

Gray is pursuing a degree in pre-diagnostic medical sonography at Cowley and plans to continue her education at either Newman University or Fort Hays State University after graduation. Her goal is to build a career in sonography, combining technology with patient care.

Her time at Cowley has also allowed her to continue something that has been an important part of her life for years: dance.

Gray is a member of the Tigerette dance team and is also involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and the Society for Collegiate Leadership & Achievement (SCLA).

“I chose to attend Cowley because it was close to home, and so I could continue dancing,” Gray said.

Whether she is performing with the Tigerettes, working with others at Starbucks as a barista or spending Sundays serving in the nursery at her church, Gray has found ways to stay connected to the people around her. 

Those experiences have helped make service and connecting with others a natural part of Gray's life.

Her family has also played an important role in shaping who she is. Her father, Simon Gray, has worked at Boeing for 16 years, while her mother, Julie Gray, has spent 25 years in education and currently teaches at Ark City Middle School.

Gray is the youngest of three siblings. Her brothers, Bow, 22, and Cody, 20, have both helped shape her experiences growing up.

Now, the Queen Alalah experience is giving Gray another opportunity to step outside her normal routine and see her hometown through a different lens.

Over the five weeks leading up to Coronation, she and the other finalists will meet with local service organizations, appear on radio shows, participate in Chamber Coffee, take part in formal and themed photo shoots, attend Dodgeballalah and the Queens Tea, and participate in other Arkalalah activities.

For someone who has spent her entire life in Arkansas City, the experience offers Gray a chance to discover something new about a community she already knows and loves.

On Oct. 30, Gray will join Edee Boatman, Carsen Carpenter, Avery Smith and Hailey Stanzel on stage for the Queen Alalah XCIV Coronation. While only one finalist will receive the crown, Gray is embracing the opportunity to represent Cowley College, connect with her community and become part of an Arkalalah tradition she has watched unfold throughout her life.

Hunter Ferguson | Integrated Communications Specialist
Cowley College
125 S. 2nd Street
Arkansas City, KS 67005
hunter.ferguson@cowley.edu