Regan was an amazing friend and writer. She always gave me so much good feedback on my stories. She was always supportive of my writing, pointing out things she really liked, and areas that I could work on. Every memory I have of her is a good memory, and I will forever cherish the time that we spent together. One of my favorite memories was when she, a few of our friends, and I went to the College of Business to study for finals after we met for class in person. We ended up staying there until around 1 am. We ended up talking more than studying. We had a lot of good conversations, and I felt like I got to know Regan and everyone else better. We finally decided to leave, and Regan wanted to make sure that we were all safe getting back home. When she found out that I planned to walk back to my car alone at night in the freezing cold, she offered to drive me to my car since her car was closer. We walked from the College of Business to her car and she drove me to the parking garage that my car was parked in. Regan was always concerned for the safety of her friends. She was one of the most caring people I knew. I will forever treasure the memories I have of her.

~Rebecca Ringer

​Regan had a love for horror movies, we had countless conversations about upcoming movies, one’s we’ve seen, and ones we should see. I have only recently gotten into watching horror movies, and when I told Regan that, she got so excited and we talked about the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies. She told me about the new one that was coming out soon, and we watched the trailer and made me super excited to watch the new one, which I hadn’t been before. She exuded infectious joy and excitement for the things that she loved, and always- always, made me feel like I belonged. Whenever I felt insecure about my writing or my abilities, Regan was always there to pick me up and tell me how well I was doing and how much she loved my pieces. Her comments on my book submissions were always some of my favorites to read, always filled with funny quips and reactions, she was absolutely the ultimate hype woman and always had my back.

~Alijah Mallula

There were so many wonderful and hilarious moments with Regan that I will cherish and hold close to forever. She was more than just an incredible storyteller, but a compassionate and enthusiastic friend. She had an undeniable effect on the world around her. Her genuine kindness, her contagious laughter, her adventurous spirit, and her creative mind were only just a few of the many great things about her. One of my favorite moments, the moment I realized I wanted to be lifetime friends with her, was at my Halloween party in 2021. She spent the night and after everyone left, we stayed up for hours talking about the books we were writing. It was so wonderful to finally share secret plot points and reveal everything with a fellow writer and friend. From that night on, Regan and I started hanging out more often, brainstorming our stories, and always laughing. She was such an inspiration and taught me so much about the art of storytelling. She gave me the courage to believe in myself and my writing, and I am beyond grateful for the impact she had on my life. 

~Meg Jenkins

Regan was a truly kind and supportive person. She lifted up the people around her and believed in them even when they didn’t necessarily believe in themselves. One of my favorite memories with Regan was when she, myself, and a few of our friends were all studying and writing together at a local coffee shop that happened to have a piano in the corner. The week prior, in our online writing class, I had been secretly playing piano during our Zoom meeting. After speaking in class, I accidentally left my microphone on, not so subtly revealing that I could play a little bit of piano. So when Regan saw the piano, she excitedly insisted that I go over and play something. I was supremely nervous, as I am still a very novice player. But even so, I went over and I did my best. There were plenty of mistakes, but when I came back over to our table she was beaming, telling me how great a job I had done and how talented I was. I didn’t really believe her, but it was still incredibly sweet. I still play that song to this day, and it has become very important to me. It helps me remember my friend who believed in me.

~Luke Stursma

When I meet a new group of writers in a fiction workshop, it’s exciting to watch their faces and imagine what magic their imaginations will reveal in the coming months as they create and submit their work. Regan appeared as a quiet, serious young woman who was giving nothing away in her expression. While several of the other students discussed creating fantasy and genre stories, Regan did not commit to anything at that time. I awaited her first submission with interest. What would she do? Who was she? How did she imagine? Sometimes a young writer makes such an astonishing leap into their true calling that as a teacher you can only stand by and offer small suggestions while watching the gift that is theirs bloom and flourish. Regan will always be one of those rare flowers… Regan will always inspire me as a teacher to encourage young writers to seek and open their creative spirit, and she will inspire me as a writer to never stop finding and telling the stories I care about. 

~Dr. Jonis Agee

Regan was so, so bright - not just smart, but shining. She was kind and talented and the kind of student that teachers dream about. She was also unfailingly supportive of others. I first met Regan when she came in during my walk in hours (back when we still did those in person!) and told me that she was bored out of her mind in her business classes and did not want to spend her entire time at UNL in them. Instead, she wanted to write, and what she wanted to write was decidedly not business-related. We continued to meet frequently, and I learned so much about her plans and goals and I was delighted that she shared a little bit of her life with me. One of my favorite memories was when we met to discuss her last semester, and she was being all mysterious about a course that she wanted to take. Her dad had taken it, as had her brother and at least one sister. She hesitated to tell me what it was, I think, because she was kind of embarrassed, but it turned out to be scuba diving. Of course, I thought this was awesome and also so, so her. She was over the moon excited to take the class and get the certification. I’m sure she’s out there somewhere, with a magnificent mermaid tail and sparkly goggles, inspecting and noticing all sorts of treasures that only she could find.

~Dr. Kathleen Lacey