Psychology refers to the study of how people think, what prompts them to think in that way and why they behave the way they do.
For Diane Bonfiglio, Ph.D., this specific study caught her attention enough to encourage her to pursue it as a career.
Bonfiglio currently serves as a professor of psychology in Ashland University’s Psychology Department, as well as Faculty Senate president and assistant director of the university’s Honors Program.
Bonfiglio first found herself on the path of psychology through her undergraduate studies. “I came [to AU] pre-med. I was fully convinced that was what I wanted to do,” Bonfiglio said. “I had a minor in psychology at the time. I started taking some psychology classes and I really just kind of fell in love with it.”
From there, Bonfiglio decided to drop her biology major and fully pursue her studies in psychology.
Following her time at AU, she began her post-graduate studies. “I ended up doing my Ph.D. at The Ohio State University in clinical psychology with a health psychology track,” Bonfiglio said.
After securing her doctorate, Bonfiglio set her eyes onto what was next for her professional career. “When I was in graduate school, and I had the opportunity to teach, that was at Ohio State… I kind of accidentally fell in love with teaching.”
“I wanted a place where I could feel the kind of warmth and the friendliness of AU,” said Bonfiglio. “I was lucky that AU happened to be hiring.”
Bonfiglio is specifically noted to prioritize her students, working with them closely to help them achieve their goals. She accredits her teaching philosophy based on her personal experiences at AU.
“I remember I had a professor when I was a student here, his name was John Fraas.”
Fraas was an influential professor for Bonfiglio, taking the time to get to know her at a personal level and pushing her to achieve the goals she wanted to attain. “Now, when I work with students, I look for ways that I can give them really personalized individual feedback with them on things.”
Her philosophy of teaching does not end in the classroom. As a recipient of the 2025-26 Academic Mentorship Award, Bonfiglio is known for her strong ability to build lasting relationships with her students.
“[Mentorship] means figuring out who the student is as himself or herself and figuring out where they want to go,” says Bonfiglio. “I try my best to support them in what that looks like.”
She also expresses the importance of helping students both within the classroom and outside the classroom. “I try to do what others did for me, and this is the perfect environment for it.”
While mentorship is beneficial for the mentee, it turns out that the relationship proves fruitful for the mentor as well. “My mom died in 2019,” explains Bonfiglio. “My students rallied around me. I had three of my students come and drop something off at my house. They totally cut me slack on days when I wasn’t quite fully there. I really felt the love and care of the community here.”
“Those little bits that really get to the equity in that mentoring relationship are just so beautiful, and they can come in unexpected ways,” she added.
As Bonfiglio continues to make a lasting impact on the lives of her students at Ashland University, she wholeheartedly pours herself out for her students. While she could do the bare minimum required of her, she genuinely has a heart for each and every student she encounters and makes it a goal to go above and beyond in meeting every person who walks through the doors of her office.
“For me, I think the legacy is in the individual students that I’ve been able to help them to the next step…If they carry that with them, then that’s enough for me.”
