Junior Regan House navigates a life of constant transitions

Photo courtesy of Manasi Saxena

Regan House looking to the bright future of possibilities and opportunities.

One calm Saturday dawn, the warm rural Tennessee air breezed through Regan House’s hair, enveloping her in tranquility. However, her life was about to be ignited with chaos- considerably changed with news that her family would be traveling eight hundred and twenty-two miles southwest, migrating to the urban center of Texas. Anyone else may have become anxious, distraught, distressed, but not Regan- this would be her fifth move. Another new home, another new school, new friends, another new life. Regan had no idea what to expect yet fully knew what was coming ahead.

“It’s not easy relocating your family across the country every three to five years,” said House.

Born in tight-knit Tulsa, Oklahoma, Regan comfortably resided with her younger brother, mother, father, and a variety of pets from fish to turtles and even tarantulas. She filled her free time with scenic bike rides, refreshing swimming, and jamming out to Frank Ocean’s “Blonde” album.

“I only lived [in Tulsa] till I was six, but all the memories I have are full of joy for birthday parties, water gun fights, everything,” recalled House.

The comfort of her cozy Tennessee home was significantly shaken at six years old, when their first major move was announced, but House wasn’t fazed.

House said, “Actually, the first move was probably the least daunting. Since I was young, all I wanted to do was explore, and moving allowed for that, so I was completely fine.”

From Oklahoma to North Carolina to South Carolina to Tennessee to Texas, House  has spent her life bouncing from place to place, never knowing what the following year would bring. However, she somehow managed to solidify a headspace of sanity and positivity, motivated by the many mottos that she had gathered in her adventures, citing, “Nothing is fixed; Something can always be done, and we can always push forward,” and “I think you can spin [any experience] to be beautiful if you just think about it hard enough, right?” and aided by her parents who taught her by example.

“[My parents are] super hardworking, they’re super kind, and they’re super resilient,” House boasted. “And I’m really thankful for them for establishing a sense of resilience within me.”

“I was rather surprised. I think we got told that we were moving like a month before we had to,” House recalled.

The sound of clothes rustled, miscellaneous objects scattered the floor, folded clothes laid organized in uneven piles. House had begun packing her belongings into numerous suitcases and cardboard boxes upon hearing of her family’s upcoming move to H-town. Spiraling thoughts and endless worries would normally plague others in a situation like this. However, House’s mindset contrasts others as she delved into an autopilot mode. Familiar to this scene, the sole thing House could form in her head was how she had an overwhelming abundance of belongings and such to manage transporting. Swallowed by an ocean of change suddenly crashing on her life once again, House had grown to compartmentalize negative emotions in the event of each move.

“I tried to be excited for what was ahead rather than disappointed for what I was leaving behind,” House emphasized.

House’s headspace swirled in a pool of sentiments when she and her family boarded the aircraft. Cold, steel seat belt buckles clinked against each other once again, mundane conversations and deep snores filled the silence once again, babies’ cries pierced through the air once again, a tango of antsiness and exhilaration creeped up House’s spine once again. This was not foreign to her. Her parents and brother buzzed with a familiar anticipation of the unknown.

“[My family and I] have roughly the same mentality. We’re definitely not the same people. But I think we all share the idea that like being able to move this much- it can be difficult, but it’s also a privilege, and I think we’ve only grown tighter as a family as we go through these experiences,” House reflects.

The House family’s eyes glazed over the Houston landscape outlined by the plane’s ovular window. Her heartbeat ran miles a minute, and House’s excitement had grown exponentially, overshadowing the little whispers of anxiety at the back of her head. But that did not mean her welcome to Houston matched a perfect preconceived expectation; she was still met with unexpected events during her first few weeks in H-town.

“It was raining constantly, and I was like, ‘Oh no, I thought Houston was going to be sunny and open and full of experience,’ and that [deviation in weather] made me a little bit nervous,” House recalled.

Despite her wavering first impressions, House began to adapt to the big-city life in Texas, succeeding in her transition from a small Tennessee community to the bustling Houston ambiance full of unique livelihoods.

“I haven’t been somewhere so ethnically or culturally diverse. Everyone here is super open minded. It’s a beautiful environment,” House noted.

Whether it be the scrumptious new cuisines, the new people she opened up her life to, or the embracing of African American cultures and beyond, House found herself in an inviting and warm scene of elation.

“Everything’s always in a state of transition, but I’m grateful for where I am,” House concluded.

Presently, along with her geographical transition to Houston, Regan has had her fair share of experiences in also moving schools repeatedly. Coming from a small community in Tennessee to a big city life in Texas, House has just begun her junior year in high school at Carnegie Vanguard High School (CVHS).

“Carnegie is a very atypical experience. Down to like even how the teachers interact with the students, it’s a lot more communicative. I don’t think I’ve talked to my teachers nearly as much as I did in my previous school, like, they just treat you all differently, and more communicatively. And it’s really beautiful to experience, especially since I have had more of a traditional schooling before- my schools were fantastic- but nothing like this,” House emphasized.

Regan’s unique impression of CVHS only drives her to push further, not only as a student but as a person too, to tackle the sudden change in surroundings and the unfamiliarity that follows.

“I’d say I’m a pretty driven person, and I’m pretty extroverted as well. Like, when you are a new kid, you obviously have to make yourself known because no one knows you. So I think that’s translated into me becoming a pretty extroverted person or at least someone who can tap into their extraversion when they need to,” House said.

Because of her new amiability that combats the tribulations that surface for new students, House’s school life has transitioned smoothly as CVHS students open their arms wide for her in like manner.

“I noticed that everyone here was super open to like talking to me, helping me just grapple with the environment as a whole. There are established groups, but everyone here is well acquainted with everyone else. I’ve always been able to bounce around to different groups of people, but that’s been especially easy here,” House spotlights.

Having settled in Houston, House prevailed yet another momentous moment of her life. So what is next? Where will House valiantly venture next? Her journeying is far from finished, and she is on her way to making a massive historical footprint.

“I want to become a lawyer and [eventually] a judge. And I think I just want to continue to be, relatively, the same person, regardless of what happens. The only constant that we have in this life is [ourselves], and even we are subject to change– nothing stays the same. But I still want to retain my ability to be resilient and open to new experiences,” House hopes.

Triumphing regional globetrotting at such a young age gave House  adaptable capabilities and a healthy headspace that would victoriously facilitate her consistent successes. Maintaining that optimistic mindset and keeping a courageous spirit are two attributes that House wants to firmly, forever, keep close. And the million-dollar question, how would House react if her parents told her that they’d be moving again?

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” House responded. “I would just say, ‘where?’”