Ashley Jackson was born in High Point, North Carolina, studied with Susan’s Dance Unlimited and graduated from the North Carolina School of the Arts, where she studied under Nina Danilova and Melissa Hayden. She performed with North Carolina Dance Theater II, dancing in George Balanchine’s Serenade, Alvin Ailey’s The River and Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux’s Carmina Burana. In 2009, she received the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Performing Arts medal and was featured in Dance Magazine's August 2009. In 2010, Ashley was honored with the Princess Grace Award and the Chris Hellman Dance Award. She is currently enrolled in the Liberal Education for Arts Professionals Program at Saint Mary’s College of California. This is her sixth season.