A Letter from Dr. Jake Bucher

"A Note from Our Why"

I want to continue offering space in one of these newsletters for student voice, especially as we continue the difficult work of determining how we will do our work – so that we can remind/center ourselves on the why. I invited Briana Flores Chavez (Class of 2026) to share a bit from her perspective, and she was gracious enough to offer the letter below.

Hello Regis staff, faculty, and administration –

There is a lot of noise right now, and there is a lot of pulling strings, calling us in different directions. As a senior approaching graduation, I feel a mixture of fear, gratitude, nervousness, relief, and a million other emotions I do not have the words for. The emotion I would like to express to you today is gratitude. In a world of uncertainty and polarization, I look towards the area of life I once dreamed about.

For this, I want to reflect on my time here. During my first semester of undergrad, I felt frustrated by the limited class times because I would not be able to take on an office job that I felt was necessary. I wanted to be a professional immediately out of high school. Being at Regis, I had to put my student role on during the day and work in food service in the evenings and on weekends. It was hard to view this as a successful college career. Now, in hindsight, I feel fortunate to have had the space to practice my workplace readiness on campus efforts alongside staff and faculty who I have created relationships with. I am grateful for the small class sizes, and the personalized material and feedback we students get to contribute to at times. I appreciate the staff’s receptiveness to our worries and still keep us accountable to the coursework and expectations. And I am so happy that I was part of a mission to contribute to the common good and social justice. We are better learners because of you guys.

We, students, have seen the changes Regis has undergone recently and their effects. I appreciate your ability to still show up. Many of us know staff, faculty, and admin may be going through tension, but as my professors would say, tension can be good.

I will now quote a passage from a reading in class that I admit I took too long to get through: “The call to authentic personhood involves a commitment to continual growth and change, which requires a willingness to undergo the emotional and spiritual pain and discomfort that are a necessary and inevitable part of the process of coming to know ourselves” (Neafsey, 2006, pg. 111).

We are all facing some uncertainties, and I hope we can all give each other grace. This quote helped ground me on the path to post-grad. I feel like the world is becoming increasingly more violent and distracting, but time keeps moving, and as I approach my exit, I am listening to myself, the discomfort, and the joy. I hope you can listen to yourself, too. Through the tribulations inside and outside of Regis, I want you all to know that you have touched the lives of many students. You are part of a community that I know I will miss dearly. Thank you.