Educational Odyssey Ashton Evans ’26 reflects on a W&L experience full of mentorship, global learning and skills she will carry with her for life. 

Ashton Evans ’26 welcomes visitors to a tea ceremony in the Senshin’an Tearoom in Watson Galleries.

Many mornings before the demands of classes and meetings begin, Ashton Evans ’26 makes matcha. She gathers her tools — a bamboo whisk, a tea bowl and measuring spoon — and moves through the steps with intention. The ritual is unhurried, meditative and precise.

“It’s almost like a self-care thing,” Evans says. “Taking the time to get out all the materials and to just listen to the sounds of the whisking of the tea, the pouring of the water. It’s definitely meditative, for sure.”

That sensibility runs through nearly every part of Evans’ Washington and Lee experience. A senior majoring in East Asian languages and literature (Japanese) and international politics with a minor in law, justice and society, Evans has built a campus life that has fostered a long-term commitment to service, community and ethical reflection.

Evans, from Beckley, West Virginia, was drawn to the university’s academic rigor and its strong support for global learning.

“When I came to W&L, I knew I wanted to study abroad,” she recalls. “That was my No. 1 goal.”

Evans began her educational odyssey at W&L by diving into Japanese, a new language for her.

“I thought Japanese was just such a cool language, and I was very interested in Japanese history at the time,” she says.

That decision opened the door to a wide-ranging set of international experiences: a month in Chiba, Japan, living with a host family; Spring Term in Bologna, Italy; the W&L London program; a winter term at Oxford focused on global politics and international law; and participation in the Japanese American Student Conference (JASC), a month-long, student-run program bringing together Japanese and American students for dialogue and travel.

Evans says her time at Oxford was instrumental in exploring her interest in international law and human rights.

“It was probably the most challenging coursework I’ve ever done,” she says, “but also the most rewarding.”

Bella Ferrate ’26, Ashton Evans ’26 and Janet Ikeda before the 2026 MLK Day Tea Ceremony.

Central to Evans’ time at W&L has been her leadership in the Chanoyu Tea Society, where she serves as treasurer alongside president Bella Ferrate ’26.  Chanoyu Tea Society is a student organization made up students interested in the study of chanoyu, the traditional art of the Japanese tea ceremony.

“Ashton and I push each other constantly. In chanoyu, this is what the practice of ‘sessatakuma’ embodies: mutual polishing and refinement,” Ferrate says. “I like to think of it like stones in a tumbler, bumping against each other until each surface is smooth and polished. It’s a phrase we use often in the tea room: a quiet reminder that mastery of the practice doesn’t come from solitary effort, but from challenging and supporting one another so we can all grow.”

Under the mentorship of associate professor of Japanese Janet Ikeda, the society hosts public tea ceremonies throughout the year in the tea room in the Watson Pavilion, including Parents and Family Weekend, MLK Day and a Women’s and Girls’ Day Tea held annually to honor International Women’s Month.

“The tea room, for us, is a place to get away from the busyness of campus and the stress of all the work that we have to do,” Evans says. “It’s a place to decompress and relax and focus on ourselves.”

For Ikeda, Evans embodies the deeper purpose of the practice. “What I often say is that I learn more about students working with them in a student organization than in the classroom,” Ikeda says. “There’s no grade, there’s no leverage — you see their real character.”

Ikeda describes the tea room as a space where students learn responsibility, mindfulness and service.

“We’re not just learning how to whisk matcha,” she says. “There are these serious Zen messages. It’s about clearing the mind, finding harmony and turning off the outside world, even if just for a moment.”

Evans has internalized those lessons.

“Every step and every movement is very structured,” she says. “Through this structure, through this meditative process, the goal is ultimately to transcend our everyday lives and to focus on making a good bowl of tea for whoever we serve.”

“Professor Ikeda often reminds us that learning tea is not just about learning how to do the procedure,” she adds, “but it is instead gaining deeper knowledge of the self through this learning process. I always have extended this to my academics in which my classes at W&L not only have taught me the course information, but also, they have taught me more about myself than I could have imagined when I was a freshman.”

“I really do think I’m better set up for law school and a professional career than I would have ever imagined coming into W&L.”

~ Ashton Evans ’26

That same commitment to thoughtful engagement shapes Evans’ work with Ethics Bowl, a competitive debate team focused on ethical reasoning and dialogue. Unlike traditional debate, Ethics Bowl emphasizes conversation, nuance and collaborative problem-solving.

“It’s framed more as a conversation,” Evans says. “You’re not just trying to defeat the other team; you’re trying to show that you’ve really thought through the ethical dimensions of a case.”

Participating in Ethics Bowl has sharpened Evans’ public-speaking skills and her confidence.

“When I entered W&L, I was very timid and shy,” she says. “Through both of these clubs, it’s really forced me to develop my public speaking skills, to be more of a leader and to be more assertive.”

The experience has also challenged her intellectually.

“I’ve learned a lot about the different dimensions of cases,” she says. “It’s honestly had me question some of my beliefs in a very productive way.”

Ashton Evans ’26 and Elizabeth Garcia ’98L outside the New Mexico Supreme Court.

The ethical commitments Evans explores on campus came into sharp focus during her summer internship in New Mexico, where she worked with Elizabeth Garcia ’98L, chief clerk at the New Mexico Supreme Court. The opportunity, funded through a Johnson Opportunity Grant, proved formative.

“I found her to be quite remarkable,” Garcia says. “She really embodies all of the values of Washington and Lee. She’s a great ambassador of the school, but also a wonderfully brilliant, kind person.”

Evans wrote about the mentorship she received from Garcia in a recent blog post for the Docket, an online publication produced by the National Conference of Appellate Court Clerks.

“Lunch time was one of my favorite times during my internship, not solely because I was hungry, but because I had the privilege of taking up some of Liz’s lunch hours to spend together,” Evans wrote. “During this break, she took the time out of her busy schedule to talk about life, careers and values. She told me that my education and values instilled in me at Washington and Lee would serve me well in life. During our lunches, she reminded me the importance of civility, treating others with respect, the importance of humility, being present, working hard and enjoying life. I did my best to soak up as much of her wisdom as possible, and I am incredibly grateful to her for those moments. It was refreshing to see someone who works in law continue to be enthusiastic and dedicated to their work.”

For Evans, the experience clarified what kind of legal career she hopes to pursue.

“I was really unsure if I wanted to go into the public sector or private sector,” she says. “What was so inspiring about Liz was her unrelentless passion for helping her community.”

“She showed me that you can actually have that service aspect in a career within the legal system,” Evans adds. “That was something I didn’t think was previously possible.”

Garcia sees the mentorship as part of a broader W&L ethos.

“Everyone deserves that person who believes in you,” she says. “I always tell students and attorneys to pay it forward.”

As she prepares to graduate, Evans is considering a range of next steps, including the highly competitive Japan Exchange and Teaching Program, graduate study in international relations and, ultimately, law school. Whatever path she chooses, the habits of reflection, service and ethical inquiry she has formed at W&L will remain central.

“I really do think I’m better set up for law school and a professional career than I would have ever imagined coming into W&L,” she says.

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