Regina Flores Mir (Summer Search NYC Board Member and Creative Technologist, Educator, and Co-Founder of DATA X) wasn’t a Summer Searcher, but she says she has always felt like one.

That feeling comes from a childhood in which she had a full view of both hardship and possibility. Her father was a Mexican immigrant and the first person in their family to attend college. Around Regina, family members were also navigating substance and physical abuse, incarceration, and poverty. But because her father had gone to college, their path was different – just by a few degrees, but enough to change everything.

“A few simple opportunities can change not just a person’s life, but can create a ripple effect that can impact generations and generations.”

That ripple carried Regina all the way to an Ivy League college, something her father “could have never imagined in his wildest dreams.” Today, her own children attend elite private schools and sit in classrooms alongside the children of senators and CEOs. And Regina sees her family’s journey as living proof of how education and opportunity can change futures, and this shapes her understanding of why Summer Search’s work matters so deeply.

Regina’s belief in the Summer Search is also tied to her personal lived experience with something that can seem small to those who’ve always had it: the chance to leave home. She shared: 

“Growing up, I did not go on vacation. Vacation was just not a word I ever even heard of until I got to college. I was a kid who really only knew the city I was from, and my reality was limited to that border.”

When her father died in 2014, Regina dropped out of high school and found herself backpacking through Latin America for two years. What began as a way to process grief became something transformative – she found herself.

“I gained a new sense of independence and grew, not by learning through textbooks, but by experiencing, tasting, touching, and living in the world.”

She sees Summer Search’s summer experience trips through this same lens.

“The Summer Search model is built on this same idea — giving kids opportunities to leave the borders of their
blocks and grow in ways they never imagined were possible.”

Summer Search has seen time and time again that when young people have the chance to expand their perspectives, what they believe is possible for themselves expands as well. At the same time, Regina knows from her college years that we all need a guiding hand sometimes to reach our goals. 

“When I applied to college, I could not ask my parents what to do. I had to figure out everything on my own. I signed myself up for the SATs, figured out when the deadlines were — there was not a single person I could ask for help. 

Even once I got to college, I remember feeling like an alien. I felt like everyone around me was wealthier and more impressive than me. I wish I had been able to talk to someone through those very isolating times who understood my background.“

That’s why mentorship stands out to her as perhaps the most powerful part of Summer Search’s model. Guidance on post-secondary pathways is crucial, but once you are on a path, it is just as important to have a trusted advisor to turn to when navigating uncharted waters. 

At Summer Search, diverse representation at every level, from our staff, mentors, and board, means students don’t have to feel like aliens in our spaces. They see people who understand where they come from. They see people who have walked similar paths. And that changes how they walk forward.

When asked what she hopes for every Summer Searcher, Regina is emphatic and clear:

“There will be many doors closed to you because of where you come from. You will have to work harder and play the game more strategically. And some people will not give you a seat at the table. And when this happens — BUILD YOUR OWN TABLE! Your background is your superpower. Do not ever settle for scraps. Make your own table! Make it better! Make it more inclusive! YOU DESERVE TO BE IN THE ROOM! OWN IT!”

May we all keep building our tables – and creating the ripple, just like Regina!