“When I found the LDSBC website, I felt a reassuring comfort that I had found my school,” said Spencer. “I knew nothing about the college but followed my impression and applied. I enrolled just one week before the summer semester started. It was indeed a small miracle for me.”
His decision was quickly confirmed in tangible ways as well. “I absolutely love the teaching style here at the school,” said Spencer. “Instead of focusing on tests and memorizing, the curriculum is built around experience.”
The experience is offered by adjunct faculty members teaching in their career field. This proximity also helps students network in that field and prepare for a real job. “The faculty here wants you to succeed and I can feel that,” said Spencer. “I also feel their love for me as they teach the number-one purpose of this school is to strengthen discipleship to Jesus Christ.”
The Kansas City, Kansas, native will graduate at the end of 2017 with a degree in Business with an emphasis on project management. At LDSBC, 80 percent of the courses for a two-year degree are in the field of major, whereas only about 50 percent of courses in a four-year degree relate to the major. That means a comparable education for a lot less money.
Another thing Spencer likes about the college is its opposition to mediocrity. “I measure my life in several ways to avoid being mediocre,” he said. “The food I eat, the amount of exercise I put in, and the quality of spiritual and academic study in my life all has to do with avoiding mediocrity. I want to become all I can be while I am here.”
Spencer also appreciates the generosity of unseen others who assist him through scholarship donations. “I received the LeGrand Richards Service Scholarship for returned missionaries,” he said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity this gives me. I did not realize the sacrifice the donors make until the Evening of Gratitude last November. I now appreciate the scholarship even more.”
Like most students, Spencer strives to give back in meaningful ways. “I got a job as a project manager for the student development center,” he said. “My primary focus is to lead projects to help students become aware of different ways to deepen their discipleship to Jesus Christ.”
His focus carries over to his future plans as well. “I have a passion—a dream—to be a city planner and help communities grow stronger,” said Spencer. “There are so many positives that a city can give back to people, and I want to be a part of that.”
One big dream is to help everyone in his city get a job with purpose. “That would solve so many problems,” he said. “I want to see the head of every household working and believing in what they are doing, and as a city planner I can help give those opportunities to families.”