Talented Tutor
Organized Reagan Student an Inspirational Example
By Amy Morgan
Reagan High School senior Rease Bullock is the glue that holds things together - whether it’s keeping her close-knit family connected, planning her church’s youth retreat or organizing events for Reagan’s PALS program. This energizer bunny keeps all the plates spinning. But don’t let her social butterfly skills fool you - Rease also excels scholastically. Her top six percent class rank has earned her automatic acceptance to the University of Texas, where she hopes to earn a biology degree that will allow her to pursue a career in pediatric dermatology.
She’s specific about that specialty because she remembers when she suffered from acne in her middle school years and empathizes with others who might share that situation. “The struggle really resonates with me. I had to put it in God’s hands,” she said, crediting her faith and friends as getting her through the trial.
​
Rease remains close with those childhood friends, recently supporting a former middle school teammate, Joana, as she scored her 1000th point on Reagan’s varsity basketball court earlier this year.
In addition to leading Concordia Lutheran Church’s youth program, including mentoring her younger sister, Layne, at the youth retreat, Rease also tutors through the church’s after school program and works in the nursery on Sunday with the littlest babies. Even though she describes herself as stronger in English and is even known by her friends as “the most likely to write a best-selling novel,” Rease more often ends up tutoring math. She uses her creativity to explain word problems in a context the younger students will understand. “My patience has grown because I’ve had to practice it,” she said.
Rease credits her statistics teacher, Mr. Spencer, for helping her believe she could be a math person. She was encouraged by his practice of keeping a basket stocked with Mott’s gummy bears in the classroom for his students. Once, when she let him know the treats were almost depleted, he delighted her by making a special trip to Costco after school to restock. “It meant a lot to me to have that support— especially junior year when things are so hectic and crazy,” she said.
Rease describes her mother as her “best friend forever” and enjoys volunteering at the Magdalena House for abused women and children where her mother works. Rease recruited fellow PALS to sponsor a hygiene-item drive and encouraged her peers to staff a booth at the ministry’s annual Trunk or Treat event for the children.
Rease played soccer her first two years at Reagan but pulled back to get involved with PALS because she wanted to give back to others who might not have had the happy home life with which she’s been blessed. She describes how it warms her heart when she realizes the difference she might be making in the younger kids’ lives. “One of my girls was very sweet,” she said, but it was the little boy who didn’t say much, but was so relieved to see her, that melted her heart.
This caring student will leave a big footprint to follow when she heads to Austin in the fall.
