Among the most common tips for success that c-suite executives offer is to get an early start to the day. But you might be hard-pressed to find a CEO who wakes up as early as Ells Mine Saint Paul ’23.
After a solid five and half hours of sleep, Saint Paul is up by 3:30 a.m. to study, work on her research, exercise, and prepare for the day. “It really opens up a lot of room in my schedule,” she said.
And by looking at the list of her roles and responsibilities at Regis, Saint Paul needs all the room she can get. In addition to her biomedical engineering pre-med major, and minors in biology and lab management, the first-gen student is vice president of Regis’ American Medical Student Association Chapter, vice president of the Haitian American Student Association, a Student Government Association senator, assistant in the Center for Inclusive Excellence, a member of the women’s tennis team, a peer mentor and part of the honors program.
“Ells is one of the most impressive and driven young adults that I've encountered,” said Ericka Hollis, assistant provost for academic innovation and faculty development. “She is a model student who clearly exudes the leadership and communication skills that will serve her well in life.”
It was a friend in Haiti that inspired Saint Paul to devote her life to helping others. The friend, who lived in an orphanage, doesn’t have the use of her legs and Saint Paul promised her she would work to help her one day be able to walk and play soccer.
That drive brought Saint Paul to Cleveland State University this past summer, where she served as a Research Experiences for Undergraduates student in the Center for Human Machines Systems. There, she worked on rehabilitation engineering to improve assistive devices created for people with cervical spinal cord injuries to give the individuals more autonomy.
“Helping people is what drove me to this research,” said Saint Paul. “It pushes me to seek solutions.”
Saint Paul dovetailed that research into a current internship with the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory working with nanomaterial and nanosensors, which she says can open up new options of materials to help those with musculoskeletal diseases and spinal cord injuries.
Through her research, studies, and time at Regis, Saint Paul said she has learned even more there are countless ways to help people. And while her ultimate goal is to become an orthopedic surgeon, that is underscored by a more significant mission.
“To give people hope and put a smile on their face,” she said.
