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The trend of ‘Second-class citizens’ across most countries is extremely derogatory. Shockingly, the divide isn’t limited to just races or ethnicities. Many women around the globe are treated as second-class citizens while living in their own country. History proves that women have been subjected to discrimination for centuries. They are not treated with dignity, respect, and equal opportunities, even though they deserve every ounce of it.

Several global indices show that women around the world face systematic suffering throughout their life. Their suffering isn’t only limited to their professional life, but their personal life is immensely affected as well. Sexual abuse, domestic violence, emotional/mental violence, sex trafficking are only a little part of women’s problems worldwide. Developed countries like the U.K., Australia, and Germany aren’t any better than the underdeveloped countries.

Brazil is one of the countries that has made women suffer all their lives just because of their gender. The male population is said to be quite aggressive who think of women as their’ property.’ As a result, the rape cases percentage is sickeningly high, due to which most women go through extreme emotional and psychological trauma. However, once in a blue moon, this world welcomes a warrior that breaks all barriers, someone who isn’t restricted by these social obstacles in life.

Regina Johnson, born in Barreiro de Baixo, Contagem, a city in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil, is one of those fighters who has been unstoppable. She was 13 years old when her father passed away in a traumatic DUI accident. As a first-born child to Maria and Jose, Regina had a lot of responsibilities up her sleeve.

“At 39, my mother was a widow in a society that didn’t value women after the death of their husbands. Widowhood in Brazil can leave women marginalized and oppressed, facing the horror of sexism within their communities,” says Regina.

Nevertheless, she did not let the discrimination laid out by the Brazilian community become a hurdle in her way. Regina Johnson took her surroundings as a lesson to do something great in life that would make a difference. During this turmoil, Regina developed a meaningful relationship with books, and they became her closest friends. They provided her with psychological, economic, philosophical, and social awareness, which enlightened her and made her see clearly her possibilities. This is where Regina started looking for answers to questions that spiraled around her mind fueling her curiosity.

Observing her best friend Cida go through femicide violence made Regina realize that female oppression in Brazil is not just a theory but a reality. She decided to move to the United States of America, where she would at least have a better system of law to protect her and will no longer have to be scared about being the next victim.

Life taking a U-Turn

Regina’s life, as soon as she moved to the U.S., undertook immense transformation. Here, she could breathe freely. Regina states: “My American dream is to be in a land that would empower me to be proud of my womanhood. Here, I unapologetically exercise my voice. America is a country that makes me feel safe and proud. I love this country, and I do anything to honor this great nation”.

With a burning passion for learning and passing for knowledge, Regina acquired a Doctorate in Ministry from the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Hamilton, Massachusetts. She also got a Masters’ degree in Counseling Psychology & Addictions at Cambridge College.

In August 2009, she entered the naval service attending Officer Development School in Newport. After reporting to Naval Health Clinic Hawaii (NHCH), where she served as the Command Chaplain. After that assignment, Regina went to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. She became the Command Chaplain at II Medical Battalion and served there from November 2012 until September 2015. During this journey, Regina succeeded in leaving her mark and move even more forward. She was selected to serve in the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis (M.D.). She enjoyed her assignment and loved having the privilege to be caring for Midshipmen. They are being prepared to be the future leaders of the NAVY. Regina considered her assignment at the Naval Academy one of the greatest assignments this far. She also had the opportunity to serve as one of the Chaplains at the Naval Academy Chapel,where she took care of the community of midshipmen and the community of active duty, staff, and retired military personnel.

When asked about her greatest memories from the naval academy, Regina says: “While stationed at the Naval Academy,I had the opportunity to be part of the Severn Leadership Group (SLG), and I have lots of respect and admiration for the personal development leadership work they do. I also miss theparishioners and the midshipmen’s energy. They all made me feel younger and stronger.”

Since the mid of 2018, Regina has been in San Diego. Initially,she received orders to serve the USS COMSTOCK LSD45 as the Command Chaplain. Currently, Regina is serving at Balboa Naval Medical Center. She is doing what she does best: caring for the military community and their families.

Extraordinary writer

Discovering new things and opportunities in life have always been one of Regina’s main objectives. Writing has been one of her strongest pursuits, but she never seriously thought about pursuing it professionally.

The spark of writing again was fueled inside Regina soon after her daughter Orlanda started growing up. One of the many things that Orlanda and Regina have in common is the curiosity to learn and experience different things. Orlanda’s curiosity and questions about various things in life provided Regina with a drive to spread awareness and pass on her knowledge to the world through her writing.

Regina decided to start writing again, but this time, she wanted her books to be a platform where curious parents and children would get their answers. Published on August 31, 2020, “Unique –Not Weird!” speaks to children about a sensitive topic, race, and ethnicity. She published with BookBaby “Naval Warship Hidden Treasure.” Another book available on Amazon is “A City Without Walls.” More of her books are available on her online bookstore: Bookgasm-Store. Additionally, she is the owner and CEO of EOJ Publishing.

An All-Rounder

‘Wanting to be a catalyst in a social change,’ Regina wants to bring change in the world and make a difference for women all around the globe. Regina is a public speaker, indie author, naval officer, CEO, a great mother, and wife – in short, an all-rounder. She is an ideal example for women and has shown to the world that a person’s will is much stronger than their circumstances. Regina bet all odds and paved her way through success. She became unstoppable the day she decided that to meet her goals no matter what it takes. She didn’t make much noise while working; however, her work speaks volumes, creating a legacy.

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