A Dream Within Reach

It’s nice to feel a part of something. That feeling is what made Emily Spillane choose Regis. 

“After being accepted, I was contacted me about joining the Honors Program and the Track and Field coach reached out about joining his team,” Spillane recalls. “Although I hadn’t made my decision, both made me feel I was already a part of Regis’ community.”

She was looking for a place with a tight-knit community where she knew she could thrive, and Regis, she says, became the obvious decision, and she became the second in her family to attend, alongside her brother Collin Spillane ’18.

Among the scholarships that Spillane received was a merit scholarship, which has not only provided financial support, but helps her stay focused on her GPA. A biology/pre-medical major, her favorite course is Microbiology with Verna-Ann Power-Charnitsky, PhD, assistant professor of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. 

“Dr. C presented new information in an exciting and engaging way and the lab portion of our class allowed for us to develop independence and a better understanding of the field,” she says. “Each student is insanely focused on ensuring they get the most out of the classes. A lot of us plan on attending medical school or veterinary school, so it is super important to be alongside students who share similar goals and are serious about achieving them.”

As a teaching assistant in the Microbiology Department, she works in a more “behind-the-scenes” capacity, prepping laboratory materials and supporting students working to learn lab techniques. It is a position as intern in the Humanities Department that helps Spillane step away from science and “get to know new professors and take part in new events.” 

When it comes to balancing it all, Spillane looks to Associate Professor of Chemistry Leslie Bishop, PhD (known to students as “campus mom”); help ranges from staying on track with chemistry assignments to “talking about any problem.”

“By sitting with Professor Bishop at sporting events, honors events, and by just visiting her office, I have developed a great relationship with her and I am so glad I have had the chance to get to know her these past few semesters,” Spillane says.

With plans to attend medical school—a dream she says is within reach because of the scholarships she is receiving as an undergraduate—Spillane knows that academics are extremely important. But she says Regis’ commitment to the “whole student” is what is helping her succeed on a much broader level. “I have joined organizations that benefit me academically, such as the American Medical Student Association, but I am also involved in clubs just for fun. I love that at night in between studying, I get to go to the dance studio and relieve stress with some very talented students.”

And she cites her service work with the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe as “one of the best experiences” of her life. “I was able to learn so much about Lakota culture and help give back to people who have had so much taken from them.” 

It circles back to Spillane’s reason for choosing Regis: a tight-knit community.

“Living away from home for the first time, it is comforting to know that we are surrounded by a team of staff who care so much about our community and always want the best for us,” Spillane says. “By having less of a divide between students and faculty and staff, the Regis community becomes stronger and students are much happier.”