During our Education Division staff retreat this June, we engaged in strategic planning with The National Charter Schools Institute. A key part of the experience was reconnecting with our “why” in education, a reflection on the personal purpose that drives our work. We’re excited to share those stories in upcoming Sponsor Updates.
This month, we’re featuring Jennifer Schorr, VP of Education.
For Jennifer, the work of education is more than a career – it’s a calling rooted in family, resilience, and hope. Her “why” is a commitment to opening doors for students, ensuring that they, like her father once needed, find caring people and opportunities that set them on a path to thrive.
What originally drew you to a career in education?
My early career started in auditing and accounting. My first professional job out of college was auditing contracts for the Department of Defense. I also worked for the State of Ohio Treasurer as an Internal Auditor and Ohio Secretary of State as the Assistant Director of the Business Services Division. My boss at that time was the President of a community school board who was looking for an internal auditor and I decided to take the leap. Later I moved to an authorizing position and that started my career in education. My love for this work grew immediately when I realized the amazing impact public school choice has on students, families, generations, and the communities in which they live and work.
What motivates you to come to work every day?
The students and families who deserve access to a quality public education no matter where they live motivates me every day to come to work and give my very best. Over the years I’ve been lucky enough to see first hand that the work we do changes lives in a profound way and not just by handing a student a diploma. The genuine care, nurturing, and support our educators and leaders give to their school families is so inspiring. It’s really, really hard work and I am thankful we have so many people from around the world dedicated to opening a pathway for a student to thrive.
I am also motivated by the awesome team in the Education Division. I see their passion, their focus, their unwavering commitment to making things better for others.
Lastly, I am motivated by our President and our Board whose sole focus is the well being of the students in our sponsored schools. Their commitment and support keeps me going every day.
What do you enjoy most about your role at BCHF?
All the amazing people I get to meet and to see their passion for helping others in practice, both on the Buckeye team and in the schools. I have learned so much about what really makes people motivated and passionate about life. I have learned about new cultures, new ways of educating students, new accomplishments by our students, new perspectives of looking at challenges – who wouldn’t want to come to work every day!
How do you define your “why”? Is there a particular moment that reinforced it?
My father was a drop-out, yet he is one the smartest people I know and was a very successful family man and businessman.
My grandfather was an entrepreneur and owned his own jewelry store. He died unexpectedly when my father was only 11 years old. My grandmother had 4 children from 11 to 6 months old and was not prepared to run a business and raise 4 children on her own. She did remarry but unfortunately he was an abusive alcoholic. My father never had a strong male role model in his life growing up and faced many challenges including food insecurity and poverty. He dropped out of high school with no real options in place for his future.
Thankfully, my great-grandmother was determined and knew my father was capable of so much more. She bought him a car he wanted in order to get him to agree to pursue a tech school and find a career in the same industry as his father. He went on to watch making school in Pennsylvania. Based on his training, he not only owned his own jewelry store at one time but also worked at NASA and wired missiles and rockets because of his training working with small intricate parts. He later when onto a career in sales and finance. I often imagine what his life would have been life if he would have had a school choice option available to him with caring people and career tech pathways.
How do you reconnect with your “why” during tough times?
My father would give someone the shirt off his back even if it was his last. He instilled in me growing up the power of not judging others based on their circumstance. He lent people money when he knew they couldn’t feed their family knowing he was never going to get it back. He always told us to support the local businesses in our town even if we could go to a big box store and get it cheaper. He supported me with advice and even if I didn’t take his advice, he supported my decisions. I draw on those experiences and use them to persevere when we are faced with challenges in this work.
What have you learned about yourself through your work at BCHF?
I have learned more patience, although my team may not agree with that all the time. I have learned that sometimes chaos is a good thing. I have learned that things are definitely not always as they seem. I have learned new leadership skills. I have learned to have more empathy. I have learned that I can’t do everything and asking for help is a strength not a weakness.
How do you hope to continue growing in your role?
I hope to keep my mind and heart open to new ideas. The world is changing so quickly and we have to be willing to change with it. We have to learn new technology, we have to be willing to admit that we can’t always do things the same way, we have to be willing to make mistakes, and we have to never give up because many students are counting on us.
What is a quote or mantra you live by?
Success doesn’t require you to be the smartest, the richest, or the most talented. It requires you to be consistent, determined, and unwilling to quit when things get tough. My father would say to me – “you just need to handle it”. I am unwilling to quit on our students no matter the challenge!
Who inspires you in your work?
Dropout recovery students. I think about the obstacles they have faced in their life and how resilient they are by coming back to finish their education. They need to be honored and celebrated every day for showing up and making the choice to improve their circumstances and set themselves up for a happy and productive life.
Who are you outside of your work at BCHF?
Outside of BCHF I am always surrounded by family which is very important to me. I am definitely the “fixer” in my family. I am lucky to have both my siblings close by with many nieces and nephews. I have many extended family close by as well and we see each other frequently. I grew up with many cousins who are like siblings. Most importantly, my only son Logan lives locally and he and his lovely wife Sara are expecting their first child in January. He is my greatest accomplishment in life as he is kind, willing to help others, resilient, hard working, and committed to family as well. He is a great human being and that is all a parent could ask for in life. I am a huge dog lover. I have a rescue dog Flip that is like another child and if you ask my son Logan he will tell you I love the dog more than him (it might be slightly true). I spend a lot of my time reading. Lastly, one of my big passions is music. I love all kinds of music, attend many concerts (probably in the 100s at this point), and have a diverse and interesting vinyl collection.
Grounded in resilience, compassion, and purpose, Jennifer’s “why” fuels her commitment to building brighter futures for students, families, and communities across Ohio.