{"id":3227,"date":"2022-08-18T10:39:34","date_gmt":"2022-08-18T14:39:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=3227"},"modified":"2022-08-18T10:39:34","modified_gmt":"2022-08-18T14:39:34","slug":"inspire-judith-hight-driven-to-make-a-difference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=3227","title":{"rendered":"Inspire: Judith Hight: Driven to make a difference"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Kate Hanzalik<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

J.S. Hight & Sons Fine Wines & Spirits. You\u2019ll find the shop on Albany Street in Cazenovia. Walk in and you\u2019ll see estate-bottled wines from around the world stacked neatly on rustic shelves and tables like rare books in an old Ivy league library. The experience is pleasant, yes, but it\u2019s more than that. It\u2019s intentional. Owner Judith Hight\u2019s goal is to stock extraordinary wines at everyday prices. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe fruit is raised on the vineyards where the wine is made,\u201d she says. \u201cMost of the places I buy from are family-owned businesses.\u201d In fact, this knowledgeable wine connoisseur\u2019s appreciation for the unfamiliar rather than the commercial is deeply rooted in her lifetime of service to those who are marginalized because of their differences, and this is what makes Hight especially inspiring. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

With two degrees from Syracuse University, including a Master\u2019s in public administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, she\u2019s always found creative ways to support others. At just 24, she started a scratch bakery in Armory Square that was operated by and for people who had some experience with the mental health system. The goal of Provisions was to give employees a sense of purpose and to eliminate stigma about people who have struggled with mental illness. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe set it up like a regular business . . . with a great product. We served breakfast and lunch, and eventually our customers realized that people with emotional concerns could be valued and valuable members of their community,\u201d Hight said. \u201cI learned an awful lot from the people in the program\u2013the power of perseverance, resilience, and when given the chance, people do remarkable things.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

She\u2019s learned a lot from her father too. A scientist, he inspired her to value education. \u201cRemember that our knowledge of the world is very limited compared to what is left to be discovered,\u201d he told her. \u201cIt is a challenge and a source of great satisfaction to unravel these mysteries.\u201d She recalls, \u201cMy father always said, \u2018stay cool under pressure and go out and make our world a better place!\u2019\u201d Maybe it\u2019s this permutation \u2013 the love of learning, and the confidence to use her education to serve the greater good \u2013 that\u2019s given her the ability to positively impact the world around her.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hight\u2019s brainchild, Provisions, was recognized by Programs that are Exceptional in Education and Rehabilitation (PEER). Eventually she served as Director of Continuous Quality Improvement for Oncare where she developed data-driven strategies that would make it easier for troubled Onondaga County youths to access all the social services and educational resources they needed to thrive. This rewarding experience confirmed what Hight believes is common sense: exposure to the general curriculum in an inclusive classroom is key, and that every child deserves a place in the classroom with their peers.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe hardest and best job of my life,\u201d Hight says, wasn\u2019t at Oncare or Provisions, however. It was<\/span><\/span><\/span> staying home to raise her two sons for seven years in Cazenovia. She says her kids \u201c<\/span><\/span><\/span>have been fortunate to attend school here,\u201d but there have been struggles. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI learned pretty quickly that a service delivery system in a rural town for a kid with a disability is very difficult,\u201d she says, speaking about her son, Ian, now 19, who has Down syndrome. \u201cThere are limited resources. You have to be an incredibly strong advocate for your kid, and I had a background in human services and it was hard for me. It was really hard for me. There were times where I felt I was just butting up against brick walls. And I started volunteering to accompany other parents to their special education committee meetings.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Today, she\u2019s left her time-consuming career in human services and runs her wine shop with her two sons. She loves sharing a neighborhood with entrepreneurs, many of them women, who support each other. Now her passion project as a volunteer is a campaign to affect change. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur future depends on the quality of our schools,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd the divisiveness in our country is only going to be solved when individuals step up; that\u2019s why I ran for school board.\u201d Her vision? \u201cTo make sure every family has a seat at the table . . . <\/span><\/span><\/span>fostering strong and effective partnerships, and advocating to ensure that all students have access to the resources and supports to achieve their goals.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Hight wasn\u2019t entirely confident going into the election this year. She was known primarily as a business owner. She isn\u2019t a life-long resident of Cazenovia. But the writing was everywhere. On windows, posters read, \u201cHight for School Board.\u201d On Instagram, people rallied: \u201c<\/span><\/span><\/span>We are behind you! You are the perfect person for this!\u201d, \u201cThank you for your voice!\u201d On the ballot: \u201cJudith Hight.\u201d And in the winning number of votes: 721. \u201cIt goes to show <\/span><\/span><\/span>people wanted something different,\u201d she says. And it put her in a position to, once again, make a difference. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Kate Hanzalik J.S. Hight & Sons Fine Wines & Spirits. You\u2019ll find the shop on Albany Street in Cazenovia. Walk in and you\u2019ll see estate-bottled wines from around the world stacked neatly on rustic shelves and tables like rare books in an old Ivy league library. The experience is pleasant, yes, but it\u2019s more…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":3228,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1143],"tags":[1222,157,1219,1223,1221,1220],"class_list":["post-3227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspire","tag-cazenovia","tag-inspire","tag-j-s-hight-sons","tag-judith-hight","tag-spirits","tag-wines"],"gutentor_comment":0,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/DSC_0335-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3405,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=3405","url_meta":{"origin":3227,"position":0},"title":"Cover story – Cha McCoy: Finding Communion over Wine","author":"Alyssa Dearborn","date":"November 30, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"By Norah Machia \u00a0 Have you ever looked over an extensive wine list and felt like you were desperately trying to understand a foreign language? 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On Oct. 2, 2022, Noll took first place in her category at the 41st Annual Guthrie Wineglass Marathon\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Inspire"","block_context":{"text":"Inspire","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=1143"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/runner-1-colorjpg-scaled.jpg?fit=797%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/runner-1-colorjpg-scaled.jpg?fit=797%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/runner-1-colorjpg-scaled.jpg?fit=797%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/runner-1-colorjpg-scaled.jpg?fit=797%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3390,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=3390","url_meta":{"origin":3227,"position":2},"title":"Inspire: Sharye Skinner Affecting Social Change with Faith and Fearlessness","author":"Alyssa Dearborn","date":"November 17, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"By Kate Hanzalik \u201cDo justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with the Lord.\u201d Michal 6:8 When Sharye Skinner was a child, she woke up every Christmas to see a tree that had very few presents beneath it. 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