A lot of reporters don't have conversations - they just fire off questions. I'm going to listen to what you're saying. If you start giving me a pat answer, I'm going to challenge you. That's where my sports background helps, because athletes do it all the time. So you have to stop them... and sometimes they're going to yell back at you. So what?

Talking through troubles, staying calm in the face of adversity, that's what my father taught me. It's an invaluable lesson because there's no shortage of adversity and mistakes to be dealt with.

If more people got involved with their local schools, if more companies donated money, a lot of the problems that are plaguing our schools and our youth would disappear.

I had a great bond with my father. Even when I was a kid, my bond with my dad made me want to be a father myself one day.

I go on and off home-school and regular school, but the kids don't treat me any differently because they've all known me forever.

Family is the most important thing: you can't buy them with money.

The Carter family history means a lot to me.

Mine is a story about a teenage single mother who struggled to keep her young family afloat. It's a story about a young woman who was given a precious opportunity to work her way up in the world. It's a story about resiliency, and sacrifice, and perseverance. And you're damn right it's a true story.