Following joy to a fulfilling career
After working as a camp counselor at a girl’s sleepaway camp in Maine for two summers, Nicole realized she wanted a career in elementary education. At the time, she spoke with a friend who was in the doctorate program for physical therapy at Regis University. After hearing her friend rave about the experience, Nicole did some research and discovered that the Regis University M.Ed. Elementary Education program was the perfect fit for her.
Nicole Boyer tells the story of how taking detours through what makes her happy helped her prepare for a career in education. Hers is the story of an art history degree, a detour at a sleepaway camp and a recommendation from a friend studying physical therapy. You know — the totally straightforward and unadventurous path one takes to reach a master’s degree. All kidding aside, Nicole always had the goal of becoming a teacher, and while her path may seem roundabout to some, it’s smart, and it fits with our key Jesuit Catholic value of cura personalis; that is, caring for the whole person. Nicole chose a path to her career filled with joy.
"The Regis program felt personalized from the start. I interviewed with Dr. Igel (Program Coordinator of Elementary Teacher Licensure at Regis) during the application process; knowing at the time that he would be one of my instructors felt cool. I looked forward to getting to know both my classmates and instructors, and I did get to know them. I still love the community we built together, and I feel like Regis does as well."
Studying at a Jesuit Catholic university focused on cura personalis — Latin for "care of the entire person" — helped Nicole form her own long-term teaching philosophy.
“I believe strongly in caring for the whole person, and being at a school that does as well makes the impact of that ideal apparent every day. It shone through in the classes, how the faculty worked with students, and it demonstrated daily the impact that philosophy can have on students."
The practical aspects and flexibility of the program made it easy for Nicole to earn her degree. She balanced working full-time as a preschool teacher while taking evening and weekend classes. With student teaching opportunities at accredited institutions for grades K-6 and more than 100 local partner schools for student teacher placement, Nicole had all the resources she needed to become a topflight teacher and prepare for the workforce.
Regis also instilled in Nicole an understanding of the importance of equity and inclusion, which she practices in her day-to-day life.
“They emphasized how important love and equity are to being a teacher — that being a teacher is so much more than developing and executing a curriculum. Because of Regis, I believe that love is the foundation of the classroom. As long as a student leaves my classroom having felt loved, no matter where I teach, I’ll have done my job."
Explore Regis University's Academic Program Guide.
