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Getting Personal is an email Q&A with a local personality. Here, Meg Dickinson chats with Champaign schools Superintendent Judy Wiegand. Getting Personal appears first in print, in Sunday editions of The News-Gazette. In the Feb. 26 newspaper, we'll have a chat with archaeologist and historic preservationist Brian Adams, 53, of Urbana.
What time do you typically get up? What do you do the first hour of the morning?
4:30 a.m. I have my first cup of coffee, read email and work out at Mettler.
What did you have for lunch today? Where? With whom?
The chicken pasta special at Biaggi's with Steve Carter and Bobbie Herakovich.
Best high school memory.
Hanging out with my girlfriends, lots of laughter and no worries.
Tell me about your favorite pair of shoes.
I do not really have a favorite pair.
What does a perfect Sunday afternoon include?
During football season, it is watching the Green Bay Packers. Off-season, it is catching up on reading and taking a nap.
Was there one book you read as a child that you still cherish? Own? Read?
One of my favorite memories growing up was the summertime and how every Thursday, we would go into town, and my mom dropped us off at the public library. I loved participating in the summer book clubs and getting a ton of stickers on my chart for all the books I read. If there was one series that stands out, it would be the Nancy Drew mystery series.
Where on Earth are you dying to go? Why?
I would love to travel abroad: Spain, Italy, England, Austria.
Tell me about your favorite pet.
It would be my current dog, Cody, a Maltese.
Have you discovered that you are becoming like one of your parents? Which one and how?
Definitely my mom. She has an incredible work ethic, and at times, I find it hard to slow down and relax. She also has very high regard for education. She had to quit after eighth grade to help her family, and as I and my eight siblings were growing up, education was our No. 1 priority. All of us are first-generation college graduates as a result of her beliefs and values. A quality education and a strong work ethic are crucial for success.
What would you order for your last meal?
Cake and ice cream.
What can you not live without?
My faith and family (husband Bill and my daughters, Brittany and Abby). And cake and ice cream.
Who do you have on your iPod?
A variety of artists, from Dave Matthews, the Indigo Girls, Chris Botti, Bruce Springsteen, Boston.
What's the happiest memory of your life?
The birth of my children.
If you could host a dinner party with any three living people in the world, whom would you invite?
Bill, Brittany and Abby. As my daughters have grown up and moved away, the times we all get together are too few and far between.
What's the best advice you've ever been given?
Treat others the way you wish to be treated.
What's your best piece of advice?
Treat others the way you wish to be treated.
What was your first job and how much did you make an hour?
I was a grocery store clerk during high school. I loved running the cash register and today will go to the self-checkout at grocery stores trying to relive those great memories.
What was a pivotal decision in your career and how did you arrive at that decision?
I was advised by my high school counselor to go to a local vocational school and train to be a medical assistant. I instead made the decision to go to the local community college and then on to a four-year university and dual-majored in elementary and special education.
Do you have a bad habit? What is it?
Well — I tend to work a lot — I don't know if that is really a bad habit, though.
How do you handle a stressful situation?
Prayer and meditation. If that does not work — a drink with my girlfriends.
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