Personal website: https://sites.google.com/view/ashleycerku
Memory Lane project website: http://walkdownmemorylane.org/
About Ashley
Ashley Cerku is a Doctoral Candidate in the Anthropology Department at Michigan State University. She holds a B.A. in English and Writing/Rhetoric and an M.A. in Liberal Studies from Oakland University as well as an M.A. in Anthropology from Michigan State University. Her research focuses on historical photography, cultural heritage, community memory, and digital work. More specifically, she investigates the semiotic landscape of downtown Main Street and how digital technologies can provide a more immersive and inclusive approach to heritage preservation. She completed her Graduate Certificate in Digital Humanities in 2025 and is also pursuing the Graduate Certificate in Community Engagement. From 2024-2025, she was a Graduate Fellow in the Cultural Heritage Informatics (CHI) Initiative where she created Memory Lane, an augmented reality experience and educational website of downtown Romeo, Michigan’s Main Street, which will also be used as part of her dissertation project. Her interest in doing digital research grew when she worked as a Graduate Assistant in the Lab for Education and Advancement in Digital Research (LEADR) from 2023-2024. Teaching others how to use different digital tools to conduct and analyze research prompted her to include different interactive elements in her own project. She is also the Manager of the Oakland University Writing Center where she facilitates staff collaboration and communication about center management and professional development as well as enhances the center’s visibility by sponsoring educational programming for the campus community.
