Christina Fox

I attribute my success to doing something productive with my life and never giving up. I've always been a fighter. My parents told me I was always a fighter from the time I was born as a 4-pound baby that fit in a shoebox. They said I was small but I should never give up, and that's how I've always been. When I worked in corrections, there was always competition with the guys to see who could do better, me or them, and I could prove that I was capable of beating them at push-ups, sit-ups, and other challenges. I've always believed that if you put your mind to it, you can do it. My parents never let me think that being small made a difference in anything. They said don't let anyone tell you you're too short or you can't do that. Just do the best you can do, and you'll be fine. That's what kept me going through 30 years in a male-dominated field.

The best career advice I ever received was when I first started working in corrections. I had a supervisor who told me, 'Hey, you can do it, you just need the correct training. You're capable of doing it, you're smart enough. You had the right goals, but nobody was training you right.' He took the time and had the patience to train me right, and because of that, I became the best person I could be. That really stuck with me throughout my career.

Never give up. Do the best that you can do. Everybody's capable of doing it, it's just about not giving up. It's like that frog and the stork - the frog's got the stork by the throat, and the stork's got the frog by the throat. Who's gonna win this one? You have to be that fighter. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do something because of who you are or what you look like. Just keep pushing forward and prove them wrong.

You just take one day at a time and do the best that you can do. Nothing's impossible. Like I said, with God, all things are possible, and that's what you gotta believe. In my current role as a school bus driver, the biggest challenge is getting respect from the kids. The only way you can get respect is by having a couple of rules on the bus and being consistent. I tell them they need to sit down when I'm driving because I can't watch them and watch everything else if they're standing up and yelling and screaming. There's no reason to be screaming unless something major is happening. I like to have them sitting down when I'm driving so it's safer for me and them. You're gonna have problems on the bus no matter what because kids are gonna be kids, but you gotta deal with it as it comes. I try to be firm and fair, and I don't play favorites because nobody's better than the other one. You have to be firm and fair and consistent. If I don't treat anybody different and I'm straight across the board with my rules, then I get my respect.

God is first in my life. I go to church, so I'm a regular church person. Then comes my husband and my family. Taking time to just relax is important to me, and taking one day at a time, basically. In my work, I believe in being firm and fair with everyone. I don't play favorites because nobody's better than the other one. It's important to be consistent and treat everyone the same way, straight across the board.