FRESNO, Calif. – Ashton Conley didn’t take the usual path to college soccer.
She didn’t grow up in club leagues or travel tournaments; she didn’t even start playing until high school in Wichita, Kansas.
But once she did, the sport grabbed hold of her.
That late start didn’t stop her from chasing a future that, at first, she could barely imagine — one that would eventually lead her more than 1,200 miles west to Fresno.
“I didn’t even know Fresno existed,” she said. “But when I found out about the soccer program, I just applied.”
Conley knew she wanted to study kinesiology, and she hoped to keep playing soccer while doing it. She was accepted and earned a full-ride scholarship to Fresno State.
Now, Conley has completed her kinesiology degree and she is at the finish line of completing a master’s in exercise science.
This summer, she stepped into a new role on campus: resident director for Fresno State’s newest student housing complex.
It’s a job she chose, she said, not just for professional growth, but because she felt called.
"I do feel like that's what the Lord wants for me to stay here and work here at Fresno State," she said. "I love the work that's being done here."
On Tuesday, Fresno State held a grand opening ceremony for the first new housing project at the campus since the late 1960s.
The new complex will add to existing housing options for students. A small single suite rounds to $8,869 per year for 2026-2027 academic year. The new complex will open at the start of the fall semester on Aug. 24.
The four-floor of the building, located at the corner of Shaw and Cedar avenues, will provide space for 228 student beds, including six-family-sized units for families that can fit up to five people.
Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval said the construction process took only a year and a half.
"It went up pretty fast, and it looks incredibly wonderful," Jimenez-Sandoval said.
Totaling more than $53 million, the housing complex offers amenities such as a gym, laundry, a basketball court and even a playground for families — which is Conley's favorite feature.
"It's really cool that we're incorporating families into the housing," Conley said. "Adding the families and having bunk beds in the room, super cute and even for the kiddos and having that playground right there accessible for them as well."
Over $33 million for the project came from a state grant for affordable student housing and the other $20 million is thanks to financing from the California State University system.
Jiménez-Sandoval said the new housing will be a space of belonging, but also one that could be considered affordable.
"Affordable housing is not a convenience, it is what makes college possible," Jiménez-Sandoval said.
