Short people are often underestimated because of their height, but they can still make some of the largest influences. Shippensburg University political science major Regina Yeung strives to prove that even the quietest of leaders can be impactful as they observe and listen to those around them.

“Someone who is a little bit more behind the scenes and an analytical leader can be just as beneficial,” Yeung said. “You can be observant and propose the bigger picture to others.” 

Her admiration for political science began in high school, according to Yeung. The government and history classes that she took in high school got her interested and involved in the innerworkings of policy and law. Yeung explained that she plans to continue her education to become a lawyer in the future to put her knowledge to good use. 

However, Yeung developed a love for biology during high school as well which led to her taking AP biology her senior year. After her first semester at SU, Yeung realized that she missed biology and added a biology minor to her degree. 

Since she is determined to become a lawyer, Yeung explained that her biology minor would be beneficial if she wanted to expand her options in law. For example, she could become involved in cases on environmental or public health issues. 

As a student ambassador, the Wood Honors College activities co-chair and an honors senator in the Student Government Association, Yeung has become a known leader on campus. She is also involved with other campus organizations such as Colleges Against Cancer, First Generation Student Alliance, Red Sea, Phi Sigma Pi, Pi Sigma Alpha, Lighthouse Academy and Ship Serves. 

“I was very involved in high school clubs,” Yeung said. “I knew that in college I needed another way to get to know people and network, so I joined clubs that were similar to what I enjoyed in high school.” One of her first club involvements on campus was with the political science club. “I wanted to then join more stuff that was new to me to meet new people,” she explained. 

In her free time, Yeung enjoys spending time with her friends and family. In high school, she participated in track as well as cross country. While she is not a part of the SU teams, she enjoys staying active and kept running. While she is also an avid reader, the rigor of her college schedule keeps her from being able keep up with this hobby. “I mean, I pick up my bio book a lot to read it,” Yeung explained.

In early March, Yeung was named a Newman Civic Fellow by Campus Compact, a coalition of universities in the United States and Mexico committed to local community engagement. Yeung taking the initiative to engage with not just the university but also the local community is one of the factors taken into consideration when she was nominated for the Newman Civic Fellow position, according to Yeung. 

In November 2021, Alexandria Karlheim, director of first-year experience and community engagement, reached out to Yeung to nominate her for the position. Yeung submitted a statement about herself and her leadership in the SU and Shippensburg community. This was sent to Charles Patterson, SU interim president, and he wrote a testament to Yeung’s leadership before submitting it to the pool of other nominated candidates. 

Yeung volunteers off-campus in the Shippensburg local community at Katie’s Place, a nonprofit group that offers charitable human services to the local area. 

“I assumed that I didn’t get it [the fellowship] because I didn’t know it would take this long to hear back,” she explained. Yeung officially begins her fellowship in September 2022. 

“[Shippensburg University] is such a close-knit community that you can have a good support system through the people here,” she said. Shippensburg University tends to foster a home-like feel for students from smaller areas due to its smaller size. When walking across the SU campus, Yeung will typically run into a familiar face. 

“I was so scared coming into college because I didn’t know what to expect outside of what is portrayed in movies,” she explained. “You have to get outside of your comfort zone and do things that you wouldn’t normally do. Put yourself out there; be comfortable with being uncomfortable.”

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