Promoting a message of empowerment

What would people be surprised to know about you? That I'd like to drive a racing car one day. I think I like the thrill of it -- going fast and having control of the car. I'd like to own a motorcycle, but my husband won't let me. I've been trying to get lessons. I really want to own a motorcycle, I really do.
How are you handling the suddenly very public aspects of your life? I'm adjusting, trying to get used to it.
What do you do when you want privacy? Stay at home. We still do the things we enjoy doing -- bowling, different restaurants, weekends away.
What has been the hardest lifestyle adjustment? Time management is the biggest challenge.
What do you do to relax? Go to the spa, and I like to read. If I get a chance to complete one of my books, that relaxes me. I like to go ice skating, and we love the theater.
What is your passion? I guess there are two. I am very passionate about education because education is power. If you empower people, they become more effective in the community, their homes and their lives.
What's your second passion?
I'm also passionate about women -- their growth, their development. I've had the opportunity to go over to the Beatitude House, and the women there are the most inspiring that I've ever seen -- what they've overcome. They're getting their GED, they're going on to get their bachelor's degree, they're buying their first homes. I want to continue to be a help to programs like that.
How does Upward Bound figure into that? We help students where they are falling short in their education. It's a pre-college program for Youngstown children in ninth through 12th grade, targeting first-generation college-bound students to help ensure that they graduate from high school successfully, enroll in college and graduate.
How does it do that? We put a lot of different programs in place to reinforce what is going on at the high school level -- an after-school tutoring program, Saturday classes and a six-week summer residential program on the YSU campus.
Do education issues get enough attention? Education, as a whole, isn't a priority in our country. I think it becomes less of a priority in the state of Ohio. Therefore, districts like Youngstown tend to suffer.
How can that be addressed?
One of the thoughts that I've had, especially since Youngstown 2010, is the need for a comprehensive plan. What is our goal, not simply what are the standards or what do we need to meet as far as testing percentages, but what is our comprehensive plan?
What else should be done? I think restructuring curriculum is going to be important, making it consistent across the board. Teach a base curriculum that is going to strengthen the entire institution, where it's English, it's math, but it's being taught at the same level with the same techniques from building to building.
When did you first meet Jay? I've known Jay since preschool. We went to the same grade school and graduated high school together and attended the same church.