Carrying Her Sister’s Wish: How One Aunt, One School, and One Scholarship Changed Everything for Regina

“You have cancer.” 

With these three words, your entire life is turned upside down. People who have had cancer, or love someone who has, know all too well what this diagnosis can do. It takes over your life.

When Vicky, a single mother living in Covington, LA, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2021, her thoughts immediately turned to her only daughter, Regina. The questions came like a flood. What will happen to her? Who will take care of her? 

Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. Its symptoms typically don’t present until the disease is advanced, leaving patients and doctors with limited treatment options and little hope. Despite this, Vicky battled valiantly for two hard years before succumbing to the awful disease. Her passing was devastating, especially for Regina, who was only 12 years old at the time. 

“After her mom passed in 2023, Regina understandably struggled with a lot of grief, and the many hard emotions that a young girl experiences after losing their mom,” said Rachele, Vicky’s sister and Regina’s aunt. 

Nothing can replace a loving parent in a child's life. Still, Rachele immediately stepped in to raise her niece as her own. She cared for Regina, honoring her sister’s wishes. One wish was for Regina to keep getting the quality education and character formation she had as an Arete Scholar since kindergarten.

“My sister wanted Regina to attend a strong, faith-based school,” Rachele said. “She was looking for more than just good academics — she wanted a school that would help shape her character and moral values.”

Beginning in eighth grade, Regina enrolled at St. Scholastica Academy, a Catholic, all-girls, college-preparatory high school. The school offers an educational environment that empowers young women like Regina to work earnestly, think critically, and lead lives of purpose. Its curriculum is designed to shape habits, skills, and mindsets that build student confidence not only in the classroom but also socially and emotionally. In short, St. Scholastica is not simply trying to create good students; their aim is to build up capable women who are equipped to contribute to society in meaningful and community-changing ways.

These principles and values have been life-giving to both Regina and Rachele, especially as they navigate significant life changes together. 

“When you’re in the middle of it, you don’t realize how big the change is,” Rachele reflected. “I went from being single and career-driven to being a mother in just 15 months. Keeping my niece in the right school helped us find some normalcy. That school, without a doubt, has been St. Scholastica Academy.”

“I can't say enough about the teachers and counselors,” she continued. “When Regina struggles with grief and sadness, which she does often, their support has been critical for us. I'm grateful that the Arete scholarship has given her the opportunity to experience the daily support she needs. We wouldn't be able to afford SSA without the scholarship, but I can't imagine her being anywhere else.”

Student success at St. Scholastica is largely tied to the school’s adoption of Carol Dweck’s growth mindset philosophy. Teachers use this philosophy daily in their classrooms. This helps students see that abilities and intelligence are not fixed. With effort, perseverance, and grit, they can grow and develop.

SSA students, known as “gritty girls,” embrace challenges, work through struggle, and cultivate resilience and perseverance as part of their learning.

Rachele sees this grit in her niece. Regina has already faced much hardship and sadness in her young life, but St. Scholastica’s philosophy is helping to equip her to face both past losses and future challenges.

“St. Scholastica has been amazing for Regina,” said Rachele. “It offers all the things that her mom wanted for her — a faith-based background, learning how to develop skills to be successful in life, the grit to take on life’s challenges, learning perseverance, and then, at the same time, having so much grace around her — the school just does a wonderful job teaching these girls how to be successful adults.”

According to Rachele, her niece is incredibly smart, artistic, and tenacious. She’s also incredibly resilient. These qualities have earned her the nickname “the Comeback Queen,” and Rachele recognizes how each of these characteristics will prove invaluable to Regina as she grows and as she navigates the vicissitudes of life. 

“She continues to struggle with depression and anxiety related to the loss of her mom,” Rachele shared. “The pain endures so far beyond the initial loss. When a child loses a parent, there are so many small losses along the way, but the school also gives her the space to figure things out for herself.”

Attending St. Scholastica Academy, through the Arete scholarship, honors Vicky’s wish for Regina’s faith-based education. The school’s support has been essential for Regina and Rachele as they process grief and adapt to their new life together. 

“I don’t think she would have found the support she needed for her mental health at any other school,” Rachele said. “Losing her mother on top of the normal challenges of being a teenager could have been overwhelming. But at St. Scholastica, she’s surrounded by people who help her through the grief and guide her back to feeling grounded, so she can return to being a normal teenager.”

Rachele’s sacrifices for her niece have been great, but thanks to the community at St. Scholastica Academy, she hasn’t had to do it alone. The word arete means “excellence in action; a life well-lived, virtuous and courageous.” As Rachele reflects on what a “life well-lived” means to her and Regina, she goes back to the wisdom at the root of St. Scholastica Academy’s teaching: “The meaning of Arete really mirrors the philosophy of her school. Regina has lived it first-hand, but the school’s teachings and values back it up — we're not promised the next day.”

“We have come to really understand, in a real-life way, that tomorrow is not promised,” she added. “So it’s important to value the time we have on this earth and spend that time in a meaningful way. Putting your hopes and dreams to action today is really important.”