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I found Ayu when I was 13 and very impressionable, so yes, to this day she is very much a role model for me.
What surprised me about her was that she found herself deep into the game. I think that, even when she was starting out as a singer, she still held a lot of pain. But by singing and performing, you can see huge changes in her. She's far happier now and through her lyrics you see that she has learned so much. I think she is an incredibly insightful and sincere person, who wears her heart on her sleeve and truly cares. That's amazing.
On top of that, you have to admire her work ethic. Some might call her a workaholic, but she loves what she does and she understands her responsibility to her fans. She is so meticulous and it pays off. Although people can complain all they want about her, very few other artists can say they have so much say in their music and come up with the same results Ayu does.
As for the education thing...I'm definitely someone who values education a lot, but I don't think I'd hold her dropping out of school against her. Nowadays, I think she can realize her flaw in not continuing. I don't think I've ever heard her boast about dropping out. I think she realizes that she had a difficult childhood, and school just wasn't the place for her.
And hey, she's a pretty great feminist and she's considered a pop idol for the gay community in Japan. That's pretty awesome.
/end bias
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