Latest news with #MountHolyoke
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Time is of the essence': Pause on international student visa interviews sends schools on another Trump-induced scramble
At Mount Holyoke College, a liberal arts school some 90 miles west of Boston, administrators have few answers so far for their perspective international students who are no longer certain they will be allowed to study in the US. The Trump administration's order directing US missions to pause new visa interviews for international students has thrust schools into a scramble to assess the impact on institutions and their students. 'This is supposed to be a celebratory time where they're looking forward to coming to the United States, going here for their education, and suddenly, all of that's, you know, been thrown up in the air,' said Kavita Khory, a professor of politics at Mount Holyoke and director of the school's center for global initiatives. The women's college admitted 140 international students for the upcoming academic year, but only about 50 of those students have received their visas, Khory said. The majority are in limbo for appointments. 'And even if they have secured appointments, it's not clear that they'll get their visas,' Khory said. Mount Holyoke's situation is true for many colleges and universities. But with few answers, and amid heightened concerns about being critical of the Trump administration's actions, few schools are willing to discuss it. CNN reached out to 50 schools and heard from fewer than 10 about how they are handling this period of uncertainty. The half-dozen university officials who spoke with CNN, representing schools across the country, said it is too soon to assess the financial implications of the State Department directive on their schools. The lack of official answers surrounding the length of the pause has left students seeking guidance that schools are not able to provide. Stett Holbrook, a spokesperson for the University of California president's office, said the school system is 'very concerned' about the State Department's directive. About 9% of the system's 2024 undergraduate enrollees were international students. The timing isn't only problematic for students who are in the middle of their application or visa processes, but also for schools that are in the middle of their annual budget planning for next year. If they can't guarantee the revenue stream that international students will bring, that creates a ripple effect, from how many faculty members they have to how many janitors they keep on. 'Our international students and scholars are vital members of our university community and contribute greatly to our research, teaching, patient care and public service mission,' Holbrook said in a statement. 'It is critical that interviews resume as quickly as possible to ensure that applicants are able to go through the process and receive their visas on time so they can pursue their education.' Another aspect of the uncertainty is the potential for specific countries to be targeted differently. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday said the US would 'aggressively' revoke visas for Chinese students. About 1 in 4 international students in the US are Chinese. 'We have followed every rule,' Zilin Ma, a recently graduated Harvard University PhD student from China, said on CNN's 'The Situation Room' on Wednesday. 'We have got our visa, we have passed all of the checks, and we have paid a ton of taxes in federal, state, and sometimes even Social Security that we may never benefit from.' 'We are contributing to the US scientific research, education and economy, and we shouldn't be the one facing uncertainty at this point,' Ma, whose work includes AI research, added. Other officials spoke to CNN on the condition that their name or institution not be published to give a frank assessment of the situation or avoid their school being singled out. 'I think the impact is dependent on how long the pause is,' one official who works in global initiatives at a research university on the East Coast said. 'If it's a few days, universities can withstand that, but this is a time of year when students make these appointments, have been accepted to these institutions and have accepted these institutions' offers.' The directive not only affects new students, but also current students who need to renew their visas, the official noted. 'Time is of the essence for these students,' the official said. 'The uncertainty piece of it is what's making it challenging.' An official at a different leading research university agreed and said: 'The damaging part of some of these policy announcements is how they're being rolled out.' The administration, they said, does 'not provide clarity for actual informed decision-making.' Asked on Friday how long the pause is expected to last, the State Department referred CNN to an earlier press briefing by its spokesperson, Tammy Bruce. During that briefing, Bruce declined to give specifics on a timeline, but said more guidance would be released in the coming days. 'The Trump administration is focused on protecting our nation and our citizens by upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through the visa process specifically,' said Bruce, who added that every visa adjudication is a 'national security decision.' The second university official said that beyond a potential financial hit, which won't be as burdensome at their school because of its size, they fear the policy will impact recruitment and the school's reputation internationally. 'There is sort of a chilling effect,' the official said. The move comes as President Donald Trump has pressured institutions of higher learning into falling in line with the administration's policies and vision for how their schools should be run. The bulk of the administration's recent actions against colleges have focused on elite universities like Harvard, where the administration first moved last month to prevent the school from enrolling international students. Harvard sued to stop the order targeting its international students from taking effect, and a judge temporarily paused the prohibition. That order does not impact the latest State Department directive to US missions to pause visa interviews for students. But the new directive could have wider implications: More than 1.1 million international students lived in the United States during the 2023-2024 school year, according to the nonprofit NAFSA: Association of International Educators. The group's analysis found that those students contributed nearly $44 billion to the US economy during the 2023-2024 academic year. 'International students already represent the most tracked and vetted category of nonimmigrants in the United States,' the nonprofit's executive director and CEO, Fanta Aw, said in a statement. 'It is a poor use of taxpayer dollars to devote resources to screening students who are already subject to extensive background checks, while business visitors and tourists are not tracked at all.' Trump has suggested that if schools like Harvard accept fewer international students, more domestic students would take their place. But Khory, from Mount Holyoke, said it's not that simple. 'It's not the zero-sum game the way the Trump administration has been presenting it, 'If you have fewer international students, you will bring in more domestic students.' That's not how this sort of works,' she said, adding that's particularly true in the near future, when students can't be immediately recruited to replace those who are lost. A former university official described three buckets of anxiety being felt by universities: the revenue impact, the talent impact and the human impact. Small, private universities without large endowments are in the most precarious positions, this former official said, as public schools often have the ability to go to their state to fill revenue shortfalls. On the talent impact, graduate schools will take more of a hit than undergraduate colleges. At the graduate level, foreign students are a critical part of the machinery. They are the teaching assistants, the researchers, the grant writers — and the next generation of professors. 'If those students can't or won't come, some graduate programs could collapse,' the former official said. And regarding the human impact: Students are members of campus communities. Graduate programs can take years — five, six or seven, in some instances — to complete. 'Everyone is anxious for friends and colleagues,' the former official said. There is also the long-term worry about brain drain and competition. 'These universities are not just in competition for talent with other US universities,' the former official said. 'There is a short-sightedness to this that university administrators are really feeling as well: 'Will we be able to be the place for global talent to come if they can't or don't feel comfortable for the US?'' Karen Edwards, dean of international student affairs and exchange visitors at Grinnell College in Iowa, lamented that the political climate in the US may deter prospective international students. That shift, she said, runs contrary to the mission of her 30-year career. 'It really breaks my heart,' Edwards said, 'to think that we wouldn't see the incredible value in enhancing the presence of global learning and international education, international students in our classroom — as opposed to, you know, fighting against it.' CNN's Maria Moctezuma contributed.
CNN
2 days ago
- Business
- CNN
‘Time is of the essence': Pause on international student visa interviews sends schools on another Trump-induced scramble
At Mount Holyoke College, a liberal arts school some 90 miles west of Boston, administrators have few answers so far for their perspective international students who are no longer certain they will be allowed to study in the US. The Trump administration's order directing US missions to pause new visa interviews for international students has thrust schools into a scramble to assess the impact on institutions and their students. 'This is supposed to be a celebratory time where they're looking forward to coming to the United States, going here for their education, and suddenly, all of that's, you know, been thrown up in the air,' said Kavita Khory, a professor of politics at Mount Holyoke and director of the school's center for global initiatives. The women's college admitted 140 international students for the upcoming academic year, but only about 50 of those students have received their visas, Khory said. The majority are in limbo for appointments. 'And even if they have secured appointments, it's not clear that they'll get their visas,' Khory said. Mount Holyoke's situation is true for many colleges and universities. But with few answers, and amid heightened concerns about being critical of the Trump administration's actions, few schools are willing to discuss it. CNN reached out to 50 schools and heard from fewer than 10 about how they are handling this period of uncertainty. The half-dozen university officials who spoke with CNN, representing schools across the country, said it is too soon to assess the financial implications of the State Department directive on their schools. The lack of official answers surrounding the length of the pause has left students seeking guidance that schools are not able to provide. Stett Holbrook, a spokesperson for the University of California president's office, said the school system is 'very concerned' about the State Department's directive. About 9% of the system's 2024 undergraduate enrollees were international students. The timing isn't only problematic for students who are in the middle of their application or visa processes, but also for schools that are in the middle of their annual budget planning for next year. If they can't guarantee the revenue stream that international students will bring, that creates a ripple effect, from how many faculty members they have to how many janitors they keep on. 'Our international students and scholars are vital members of our university community and contribute greatly to our research, teaching, patient care and public service mission,' Holbrook said in a statement. 'It is critical that interviews resume as quickly as possible to ensure that applicants are able to go through the process and receive their visas on time so they can pursue their education.' Another aspect of the uncertainty is the potential for specific countries to be targeted differently. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday said the US would 'aggressively' revoke visas for Chinese students. About 1 in 4 international students in the US are Chinese. 'We have followed every rule,' Zilin Ma, a recently graduated Harvard University PhD student from China, said on CNN's 'The Situation Room' on Wednesday. 'We have got our visa, we have passed all of the checks, and we have paid a ton of taxes in federal, state, and sometimes even Social Security that we may never benefit from.' 'We are contributing to the US scientific research, education and economy, and we shouldn't be the one facing uncertainty at this point,' Ma, whose work includes AI research, added. Other officials spoke to CNN on the condition that their name or institution not be published to give a frank assessment of the situation or avoid their school being singled out. 'I think the impact is dependent on how long the pause is,' one official who works in global initiatives at a research university on the East Coast said. 'If it's a few days, universities can withstand that, but this is a time of year when students make these appointments, have been accepted to these institutions and have accepted these institutions' offers.' The directive not only affects new students, but also current students who need to renew their visas, the official noted. 'Time is of the essence for these students,' the official said. 'The uncertainty piece of it is what's making it challenging.' An official at a different leading research university agreed and said: 'The damaging part of some of these policy announcements is how they're being rolled out.' The administration, they said, does 'not provide clarity for actual informed decision-making.' Asked on Friday how long the pause is expected to last, the State Department referred CNN to an earlier press briefing by its spokesperson, Tammy Bruce. During that briefing, Bruce declined to give specifics on a timeline, but said more guidance would be released in the coming days. 'The Trump administration is focused on protecting our nation and our citizens by upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through the visa process specifically,' said Bruce, who added that every visa adjudication is a 'national security decision.' The second university official said that beyond a potential financial hit, which won't be as burdensome at their school because of its size, they fear the policy will impact recruitment and the school's reputation internationally. 'There is sort of a chilling effect,' the official said. The move comes as President Donald Trump has pressured institutions of higher learning into falling in line with the administration's policies and vision for how their schools should be run. The bulk of the administration's recent actions against colleges have focused on elite universities like Harvard, where the administration first moved last month to prevent the school from enrolling international students. Harvard sued to stop the order targeting its international students from taking effect, and a judge temporarily paused the prohibition. That order does not impact the latest State Department directive to US missions to pause visa interviews for students. But the new directive could have wider implications: More than 1.1 million international students lived in the United States during the 2023-2024 school year, according to the nonprofit NAFSA: Association of International Educators. The group's analysis found that those students contributed nearly $44 billion to the US economy during the 2023-2024 academic year. 'International students already represent the most tracked and vetted category of nonimmigrants in the United States,' the nonprofit's executive director and CEO, Fanta Aw, said in a statement. 'It is a poor use of taxpayer dollars to devote resources to screening students who are already subject to extensive background checks, while business visitors and tourists are not tracked at all.' Trump has suggested that if schools like Harvard accept fewer international students, more domestic students would take their place. But Khory, from Mount Holyoke, said it's not that simple. 'It's not the zero-sum game the way the Trump administration has been presenting it, 'If you have fewer international students, you will bring in more domestic students.' That's not how this sort of works,' she said, adding that's particularly true in the near future, when students can't be immediately recruited to replace those who are lost. A former university official described three buckets of anxiety being felt by universities: the revenue impact, the talent impact and the human impact. Small, private universities without large endowments are in the most precarious positions, this former official said, as public schools often have the ability to go to their state to fill revenue shortfalls. On the talent impact, graduate schools will take more of a hit than undergraduate colleges. At the graduate level, foreign students are a critical part of the machinery. They are the teaching assistants, the researchers, the grant writers — and the next generation of professors. 'If those students can't or won't come, some graduate programs could collapse,' the former official said. And regarding the human impact: Students are members of campus communities. Graduate programs can take years — five, six or seven, in some instances — to complete. 'Everyone is anxious for friends and colleagues,' the former official said. There is also the long-term worry about brain drain and competition. 'These universities are not just in competition for talent with other US universities,' the former official said. 'There is a short-sightedness to this that university administrators are really feeling as well: 'Will we be able to be the place for global talent to come if they can't or don't feel comfortable for the US?'' Karen Edwards, dean of international student affairs and exchange visitors at Grinnell College in Iowa, lamented that the political climate in the US may deter prospective international students. That shift, she said, runs contrary to the mission of her 30-year career. 'It really breaks my heart,' Edwards said, 'to think that we wouldn't see the incredible value in enhancing the presence of global learning and international education, international students in our classroom — as opposed to, you know, fighting against it.'
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gov. Healey at Mount Holyoke: ‘This is a moment that clarifies our values'
SOUTH HADLEY — Massachusetts, like the graduates of Mount Holyoke College over the past 188 years, will stand for science, democracy and inclusion, Gov. Maura T. Healey said in a commencement address Sunday. 'This is a moment that clarifies our values,' she said to the more than 600 graduates gathered on the lawn on the South Hadley campus. 'It may feel as though you are graduating in the worst timeline. But the crisis of this moment, the challenge of this moment, also offers a huge opportunity. … In a time like this, how you live makes a statement. Who you are makes a difference.' Healey — a Harvard graduate who identified herself to Mount Holyoke graduates as 'a Radcliffe woman' — said the history of women's liberal arts colleges, beginning with Mount Holyoke, is 'a legacy of leadership, a legacy of courage' that informs her own values. Without mentioning President Donald Trump or members of his Republican administration, the Democratic governor described 'starkly different visions of America (that) are in conflict: A democracy defined by pluralism versus a system of hierarchy and domination. Constitutional rights which are universal versus the privileges of power. An economy of innovation and opportunity versus greed and inequality. A social vision that is rooted in freedom versus fear and hate. And a vision of higher education as the foundation of our leadership in the world, not as a domestic enemy to be torn down.' Addressing the graduates, she added: 'I know which vision I stand for. I know you do, too.' Introducing Healey, college President Danielle R. Holley described the governor's vision as 'opportunity for all,' and said her status as a woman and as a member of the LGBTQ+ community has 'galvanized' the students of Mount Holyoke. In her remarks, Healey told the graduates that this moment is 'yours to confront.' 'Values and people we hold dear are being attacked and vilified,' she said. 'It's a frightening time in many communities.' Healey noted that 2025's graduates enrolled in college during a moment of uncertainty, as the world was emerging from the COVID-19 state of emergency. She said they will rely on that aspect of their educational career, in addition to their formal course of study. 'You also learned something about resilience,' Healey said. 'It's a good thing, because you face another test now. You graduate in a time of political upheaval. In a time of great uncertainty about the future.' Healey didn't dwell on the specific political debates of 2025, but advised graduates to stay true to their values and to live lives of care and compassion in everything they do. 'Life is about the little things, the daily engagements,' she said. 'In this world today, where so many are feeling dislocated, apart, experiencing some alienation, the more you can do to reach out and engage in the smallest of ways, with a smile, with a gesture, with a hello — trust me — it'll do amazing things.' One of the graduates in the audience, Bee Mayberry of Texas, said after the ceremony that Healey's remarks pointed in the right direction. Mayberry — who majored in American politics and studied the beliefs and tactics of the far right — would have been open to a more forceful condemnation of Trump policies, but recognized that Healey tailored her remarks to the non-political nature of the event. A graduate from one of the more than 50 countries represented in Mount Holyoke's class of 2025, Fei Yang Liu of China, said she felt Healey hit the right tone for a graduation speech. In her remarks, Healey drew a connection between this political moment and the American Revolution that began 250 years ago, with volunteer militia standing up to British troops. 'Some ordinary folks in our state stepped forward to defend their right to self-government and due process,' Healey said. 'They started the revolution that gave us our country. … In times of choosing, Massachusetts has always understood the assignment. That will not change. Massachusetts will not be silent. We will not back down. As long as I am governor, we will stand up for our students, neighbors, workers, communities. We'll stand up for the rights guaranteed by the constitution. We'll stand up for a vision of America where freedom is not just for the few, but for all.' Exhibit explores Springfield's witch panic that occurred years before Salem Speed bumps petition gains support after child killed by car in Springfield Number of older homeless adults increased nearly 20% this year in Hampden County 'His mercy was never returned': Jordan Cabrera sentenced to 12-15 years for fatally shooting Jahvante Perez Read the original article on MassLive.
New York Times
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
A First Kiss in an Elevator Was ‘More Than Fireworks'
Virginia McIntosh Venuto and Shauna Hakim Miller had both recently ended long-term relationships when they met on Tinder in September 2022. Mx. Venuto, who calls herself Gin, was new to online dating, while Ms. Miller described herself as a 'seasoned pro.' Their mutual attraction was instant. 'I thought Shauna was cute and had confidence,' Mx. Venuto said. 'I was very intrigued.' 'Gin seemed like a catch from her bio because she went to Mount Holyoke, a school I admired,' Ms. Miller said. 'Plus, I loved the oversized glasses in her profile picture.' After messaging and sharing jokes, they agreed to meet for drinks a few weeks later at Broken Shaker, a rooftop bar at the Freehand Los Angeles, a hotel downtown. Mx. Venuto, 37, said she was 'a mess' in the hours leading up to their meeting. 'I hadn't been on a date in years and called every close friend for advice on what to say and how to dress.' Ms. Miller, 38, was excited. 'I had a sense we would hit it off,' she said. Mx. Venuto arrived first and said that her eyes lit up when she saw Ms. Miller walk in. 'She was wearing a short-sleeved floral dress and was pretty and elegant,' she said. 'Gin was the manifestation of grace and edge,' Ms. Miller said. Their conversation flowed easily, and they ended up staying at the bar until closing. As they rode the elevator to the ground floor, Ms. Miller grabbed Mx. Venuto and pulled her in for a passionate kiss. 'The moment was more than fireworks,' Mx. Venuto said. 'We were enraptured in a blurry silence where time stood still.' [Click here to binge read this week's featured couples.] Not ready to say goodbye, they wandered the streets hand in hand until 2 a.m., talking and kissing all the way. 'We were all in,' Ms. Miller said. From that point on, they spent all their free time together. Ms. Miller lived with her parents in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles and Mx. Venuto shared a home with a friend in Beverly Hills, about a 15-minute drive away. They took sick days from work to have picnics on the beach and scenic drives along the Pacific Coast Highway. Each knew the other was 'the one' by New Year's Eve during a getaway to Guerneville, a rustic town in Sonoma County. 'We were staying at an empty, isolated hotel out of 'The Shining' and got drenched in a downpour on the way to lunch,' Ms. Miller said. 'We were soaking wet, but we were laughing. I looked at Gin and realized I had found my person to have adventures with for life.' 'The trip solidified my love for her,' Mx. Venuto said. Mx. Venuto, who is from Tacoma, Wash., works as a fractional chief financial officer and automation technologist at the Karlon Group, a finance and accounting firm in Los Angeles. She has a bachelor's degree in economics from Mount Holyoke College and a master's degree in business from the University of Southern California. Her previous marriage ended in divorce. Ms. Miller, who is half Persian, grew up in Brentwood and is a freelance creative director who works with retail and entertainment companies. She has a bachelor's degree in storytelling and the discovery of self from the N.Y.U. Gallatin School of Individualized Study. The couple are collaborating on a new venture, a customizable press-on nail brand that they say will be available this fall. In early 2023, they began house hunting and found their dream property in the Silver Lake neighborhood that September. The Arts and Crafts home, set on a hilltop, has city and Pacific Ocean views. They moved in March 1, 2024. 'This is the place where we want to raise our kids and grow old,' Mx. Venuto said. During a vacation the following month to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, Mx. Venuto told Ms. Miller they were going to the beach to free baby sea turtles. When they arrived, Ms. Miller found an elaborate picnic instead. Mx. Venuto presented her with a notebook detailing their love story, and as Ms. Miller finished the last pages, Mx. Venuto dropped to one knee and pulled out a box with a diamond ring. 'I fell to my knees to hold her,' recalled Ms. Miller, who said yes. 'We cried and hugged while the sun set.' They were married on March 21 before 65 guests in their backyard. Rabbi Susan Goldberg, who founded the Jewish spiritual community Nefesh, officiated. After the ceremony, a marching band led guests to waiting buses that transported them to lunch at Tacolina, a Mexican restaurant in Silver Lake. A reception took place the next day for 170 guests at the Paramour Estate, across the street from their home. In a nod to Ms. Miller's roots, they served a Persian dinner of lamb and salmon kebabs cooked over an open fire on the lawn. 'We had a connection beyond language from the beginning,' Mx. Venuto said. 'Our wedding gave us the chance to extend our love to our friends and family.'
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Elaine Chao: One woman's rise from immigrant roots to the presidential Cabinet
'Badass Women of Washington' TV special airs Saturday at 2:30pm series was born during a lunch in early 2017, when we wondered what Hillary Clinton's loss meant for answer: Women are already breaking barriers in a man's town, muscling their way into power and staying there. Their stories show there are Badass Women all around Washington.— Dana Bash, Abigail Crutchfield & Rachel Smolkin Knowing Elaine Chao from afar for many years, there are a lot of words I would use to describe her: smart, tough, accomplished and, yes, badass. After all, she was George W. Bush's labor secretary for two terms – the longest-serving member of his Cabinet and the first female Asian-American in any presidential cabinet in US history. She is now President Donald Trump's transportation secretary and one of four women in his Cabinet. But spending time with Chao in her office, I was immediately struck by something I did not expect – how candid she is about her vulnerabilities and anxiety, especially about when she was a young Chinese immigrant. 'I remember how tough it was to try to learn a new culture, a new language and just to adapt to, like, ordinary daily stuff like the food. Like, most Chinese don't eat meat between breads,' she told me with a laugh. Eight-year-old Chao started her journey to America on an overnight train in Taiwan with her mother and two sisters in 1961. They then boarded a cargo ship to cross the Pacific Ocean to California before finally reaching their destination: New York. 'As an adult looking back and seeing my mother who was only like 27, you know how frightening it must have been as the only woman aboard this cargo ship with three young girls? I mean, that's pretty rough,' she said. In our nearly hour-long interview, Chao opened up about her struggles to adapt to a new country, her rise to power and her regrets about sacrifices she made along the way. Chao, her mother and sisters joined her father, who had come to the US three years earlier and lived in a one-bedroom apartment in Queens, New York. 'Those initial years were very hard,' Chao said – especially when she was first trying to learn English. 'The kids were mean to me,' she recalled in a matter-of-fact tone that usually only comes with years of distance. Her parents helped a lot, she said, providing 'such a loving and secure' environment for her despite their own adversities and adjustment issues. Chao's father eventually did very well in America, becoming a wealthy shipping magnate. She said she felt a lot of pressure to succeed, noting that in Asian culture, the first-born child is expected to 'take care of the rest of the children, my siblings.' 'I was really scared that I would not be able to catch on, latch on to mainstream America. I wouldn't be able to find a job. I couldn't – I couldn't make anything of myself. I'd be a disgrace to my family,' she said. She was hardly a disgrace. Chao excelled academically and was accepted to Mount Holyoke, a women's college. 'We thought that that was the best place for, you know, a young girl to be. Little did I know then there would be, like, weekend dating situations,' Chao said. 'I never dated in my whole entire life. I never went to my senior prom, never went to my junior prom,' she revealed. Although she clearly wasn't looking for sympathy, I told Chao that made me sad. 'That's OK,' she reassured me, 'I'm not. Nobody asked.' 'I didn't understand the significance of it,' she explained. 'I didn't understand popular culture. I never listened to music because I didn't – because, No. 1, I was too busy studying,' she said. That paid off. After college, Chao attended Harvard Business School to pursue a career in banking until she got a White House fellowship during the Reagan administration. She said she was doing research for Republican President Ronald Reagan's speeches and 'the bell went off, 'ding, ding, ding, ding!'' 'I was going, hey, I believe in all this stuff. I'm actually a Republican,' she remembers. Chao, 64, steadily climbed the GOP ranks with an appointment to the Maritime Commission, then deputy transportation secretary and eventually Peace Corps director. After Bill Clinton won the White House, she left government and became president of The United Way. It was around that time she met her husband, Sen. Mitch McConnell, who is now the Senate majority leader. Chao scoffs at the idea of being one half of the ultimate power couple, noting rightly that these days there are a lot of power couples because there are so many more women in positions of power. Chao played a significant role in her husband's 2014 reelection bid – especially in helping him appeal to female voters as he competed against a female Democratic challenger, Alison Lundergen Grimes. She is still eager to humanize her husband, who is known much more for his sharp political skills than a warm, fuzzy demeanor. 'This is really important. You've gotta leave this in,' she says, looking directly into the television camera lens. 'I call him my low-maintenance husband. He does his own laundry and he cooks.' 'He does mine too sometimes,' she said, referring to the laundry. 'He's really good,' she added about his cooking. 'And he's really considerate,' she continued, 'and he's really very thoughtful. So, life with him, you know, is very easy that way.' A friend who set the couple up described Chao years later as a 'tiger wife.' 'At the time he made his remark, Amy Chua had her book about Tiger Moms. So I think he was trying to say that … I am an incredibly loving, loyal wife and asset to my husband,' she explained. Chao brought up an article she once read that claimed that she keeps files on her husband's donors and supporters. She said the story was wrong – but not why you may think. 'I didn't take notes. It was all up here,' she said, her finger on her temple and a devilish look in her eyes. 'I have an incredible memory. It's just one of, you know, life's blessings. If I met you 24 years ago, I can remember the place, the time, the circumstances,' Chao said – a great asset in politics. 'It's proven to be pretty helpful,' she agreed. Her mother passed away, but her 90-year-old father still works and is her biggest cheerleader. He was there earlier this year when she was sworn in as transportation secretary. As we looked at a photograph from that day, Chao remembered it was 'January 31, 2017, at 5:30 p.m.' 'I told you I have a good memory,' she laughed. Chao displays other photos in her office of her large family – sisters, nieces and nephews. She is very family-oriented but never had children of her own, and in a painfully candid moment during our discussion, she revealed that's a regret. 'I try not to have too many regrets. But I will say to young women, you know, when in my generation, we were taught that we can have it all. And so it was thought, well, you have a career. And then you would, you know, have your family and, well, there'd be no problem. Well, it doesn't work like that,' she said, growing emotional. 'So I try to counsel young women that they will have to be, regardless as to whether they want it or not, there are tradeoffs and sacrifices in life. And it's important to know when those points occur because it would be a regret if you didn't know you were making that tradeoff and it happened. And there was no chance to go back.' Did she know she was making that tradeoff, I asked? 'No. I didn't,' she replied, trying to hold back tears. It was an unexpectedly raw moment with Chao that so many women can relate to. It resonated with me in a big way because I almost made the same 'tradeoff,' as she called it. I did not start trying to have a baby until I was in my late 30s, and it was almost too late. After years of fertility treatments, I finally got pregnant with my son, whom I call my miracle baby. Because of my experience, I too tell young women that if they think they want children, it is important not to take that for granted. Watch the clock, because it matters. Chao may not have her own kids, but there are scores of Asian-Americans who look to her for inspiration. Often, Chinese-American families meet her at airports just to say hi. 'Oh, my gosh. I mean, I would go to events. And they would show up. Asian-American families will show up everywhere. And there would be like, there'd be like an instant bond.' As transportation secretary, Chao oversees almost 60,000 employees and a slew of agencies, including the FAA. She says she tries to mentor young people who work for her – but also surprised me by saying that role models are overrated. 'I'm gonna say something that seems a bit strange. But I want it to be encouraging. I didn't have a lot of role models. But that didn't hurt me. And so for young people, young women, I wanted to give them strength and hope and confidence,' she declared. 'Just because there are no role models doesn't mean that you can't be the future role model that you now seek. So our country is so full of opportunities. And, you know, even if you don't have a role model, it's OK. Just pursue your life's passion. Do what you really love, and the way will unfold.'
