ALUMNAE PROFILES Regina H. Boone, 1988 Growing up, Regina Boone’s home was filled with newspapers, magazines and books. Incredible visual storytelling was all around her. Her father, a journalist, instilled in her the critical thinking skills she would need for the world of journalism, and he also emphasized the importance of seeing things from all perspectives. Regina unconsciously applied this nascent photojournalism education to her time at RPCS, where she attended from grades 7-12, and documented her life and classmates in the medium of photography. “My understanding of locking in the everyday moments was totally in my DNA, even though I was not in tune as to why I actually did this.” Even at an early age, Regina’s passion for seeing the humanity embedded in the ordinary moments of life was hardwired into her. Today, Regina is an award-winning photojournalist, who has spent more than 20 years documenting human resiliency. In 2016, Time magazine chose a portrait of hers as its cover image documenting the Flint water crisis, which also made CNN’s 2020 list of “100 Photos that Defined the Decade.” She was also the keynote speaker at Roland Park Country School’s Commencement this past June. After graduating from RPCS, Regina attended Spelman College, where she earned a B.A. in Political Science in 1992. Regina taught English on the Japanese Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program, while living in Osaka for three years. After four years of living abroad, she moved to Richmond, Virginia to work for her family’s weekly newspaper, the Richmond Free Press. Four years later, she completed a two-year graduate program at Ohio University’s School of Visual Communication and was then hired to join the photojournalism staff of the Detroit Free Press, where she worked for nearly 14 years. In 2018, Regina completed the Knight-Wallace Fellowship at the University of Michigan, and three years ago she rejoined the staff at the Richmond Free Press. When Regina was a student at RPCS, the school provided a solid foundation of academics and independent thinking that prepared her for college. But RPCS is also where she learned firsthand about racism, wealth and privilege, and inequities of all kinds. She credits the school and her parents with opening her eyes from a very young age to the gross imbalance of the playing field between white people and people of color. She learned how to study, think critically and to maneuver in spaces with people who didn’t look like her and oftentimes did not respect her or her background. Teamwork as a lacrosse and field hockey player helped to build Regina’s character to be outspoken and fearless and being a teenager dealing with microaggressions and racism made her stronger, but her struggles were often lonely. “I value all that I learned, even the bad and hurtful things,” said Regina. “I
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“ The school taught me to lead and not to back down, even when the majority was against me sometimes.” cherish many memories with my classmates and teachers. The good and the bad made it all a very rich experience that I actually would not change.” Regina especially values the friendships she has made at RPCS, including her best friend Nikki Parker, 1988. She is also still in touch with Mrs. Anne Heuisler, who understood her deeply and challenged her personally and academically. “I truly cherish her and I am immensely grateful to have someone like her who knew me then, knows me now and understands both versions of me.” As a student, Regina was inspired by her classmates and the other intelligent, fierce and talented young women of RPCS. “I was often in awe of the thinkers we were surrounded by at such a young age and am still inspired by creative minds and those who are fearless and those who lead the way,” Regina said. “The school taught me to lead and not to back down, even when the majority was against me sometimes.” Over the past year, Regina has felt the heavy load of the pandemic and the reckoning surrounding ongoing racism. But she has learned that giving up is not an option. “As my dad used to remind my family many mornings growing up and into adulthood, he’d say, ‘It’s opportunity time.’ Yes, it is.”
