Ages: Hipsky is 36; Armani-Bavaro is 38.
Residences: Hipsky lives in Wexford; Armani-Bavaro lives in Hopewell.
Family: Hipsky and her husband Joseph have two children, Jacob, 2, and Alyssa, 3. Armani-Bavaro is engaged.
Education: Hipsky has a bachelor's degree in special and elementary education, a master's in curriculum and instruction, and a professional doctorate in educational leadership, all from Duquesne University. Armani-Bavaro, Hipsky's former student, has a bachelor's degree in communication from Edinboro University, and a master's in instructional leadership and Ph.D. in instructional management and leadership from Robert Morris University.
Occupation: Hipsky is an assistant professor of education at Robert Morris. Armani-Bavaro works in the logistics department at GlaxoSmithKline.
Background: Hipsky's more than 100 published works include her books "The Drama Discovery Curriculum," "Arts Alive" and "Differentiated Literacy and Language Arts Strategies for the Elementary Classroom." Armani-Bavaro's research led her to develop a transition model for international students in higher education who connect with corporate professionals through mentoring.
Noteworthy: Hipsky and Armani-Bavaro are co-authors of "Mentoring Magic: Picking the Card for Your Success," a book published this month with tips and stories about how students and professionals can form mentoring relationships in their academic and work lives. They will sign copies of their book at 6 p.m. Friday at the Penguin Bookshop, 420 Beaver St., Sewickley.
Quote: "It's particularly important to find someone who's got your back, who will walk by your side and show you when you're going down the wrong path and steer you back to who you are," Hipsky said.
