People of Regent: SOAR 2017 Edition

Regent’s class of 2021, is a group of dedicated, bright and unique students. Meet the future of the University in the newest installment of People of Regent.

Brenson Joshua Hardy III, or, as he likes to be called, BJ, Virginia Beach, V.A., Jun. 2017. (Sara Waits)
Brenson Joshua Hardy III, or, as he likes to be called, B.J., Virginia Beach, V.A., Jun. 2017. (Sara Waits)

“I’m from North Pole, Alaska. North Pole is a real town, it does exist – and yes, I do live down the road from Santa Clause. I was looking for colleges and Regent came up. I dismissed it in favor of another university that was a bit closer to home, but as soon as I learned more about it, I knew it was the right choice. I hate flying, so now I have to make the trip back home, which is going to be horrible. It’s basically a whole day – 18 or 19 hours – of flying. Traveling is the worst part of my experience. I’m kind of sad SOAR is only 2 days long. Getting the vibe of the place and hanging out with the other students made the trip worth it. I can’t wait to come back this fall.”  — B.J. Hardy

New friends Emily Ford and Amy Mendoza, Virginia Beach, V.A., Jun. 2017. (Sara Waits)
New friends Emily Ford and Amy Mendoza, Virginia Beach, V.A., Jun. 2017. (Sara Waits)

“I’m from Alexandria, Virginia. I started looking deeper into Regent because it was Christian and small. Then I started calling and they would call me back – I loved the back and forth. I think worship and staying at the Commons gave me a better feel of what to expect – like I’m going to be waking up at this time and this is what worship typically looks like here. At the beginning of SOAR, I was shy and very anxious, but the icebreakers really helped me become comfortable with my team. Now I just don’t want to leave!” — Amy Mendoza

“I’m from Woodbridge, Virginia. I have a friend who goes here, and he loves this place. I decided I’d go on one of the tours and I was able to see why. Usually, I have a hard time around crowds – and try to avoid them – but for some reason, I feel more comfortable here than I usually would. My favorite part was meeting Amy. Normally, I don’t click with people immediately, but when Amy walked in the room it was an instant connection.” — Emily Ford

Freshman Jalen Pierce at the SOAR Campus Fair, Virginia Beach, V.A., Jun. 2017. (Sara Waits)
Freshman Jalen Pierce at the SOAR Campus Fair, Virginia Beach, V.A., Jun. 2017. (Sara Waits)

“Regent wasn’t really on my radar at first, but different turns of events showed me that the other colleges I was looking at weren’t the right fit. After a while, I decided to check out Regent. We went and met some of the faculty and advising – we were all blown away. I knew it was where I wanted to go. I really enjoyed SOAR. It was a lot of fun and I got to meet a lot of people. I’m in the Honors program, so I got to meet some more of them, and other animation students, people I’m going to be in classes with. The activities in the evening had the biggest impact on me – I was sitting there and realized that I could make my own decisions. It showed me that this is a place where you can make your own choices for the rest of your life and inspired me to make wise ones.” — Jalen Pierce

Judah Duncan in Robertson Hall, Virginia Beach, V.A., Jun. 2017. (Sara Waits)
Judah Duncan in Robertson Hall, Virginia Beach, V.A., Jun. 2017. (Sara Waits)

“My family did a big conference every year at the Founder’s Inn, so I’ve been raised on the actual grounds here. I never really looked into the college until my junior year, though. At the beginning of SOAR, I was very uncomfortable just because it’s a different environment than I’m used to. When I lived here about 5 years ago, I was friends with this girl named Alyssa, but I hadn’t seen or talked to her in 4 years. I saw her yesterday and wanted to say something, but didn’t know if she remembered me or not. When we were in the Relay, we ended up next to each other, holding hands, and I was able to talk to her again. After dinner, I played my first round of ‘Body, Body’ – and I definitely want to continue that – but the welcoming staff was another highlight. All of the leaders of the teams and the SAB people were super nice. I made as many friends with them as I did upcoming freshman. I became comfortable very quickly thanks to the staff.” — Judah Duncan




Sara Waits is a Staff Writer for The Daily Runner.