Former Naval Academy Student Making Best of New Path at Rockhurst

Luke Spencer repeatedly refused to accept defeat when pursuing his dream of being a naval officer - until a severe car accident left him no other choice. Now the Rockhurst University junior has a new dream, and he's once again overcoming obstacles and using hard lessons learned to make that happen.

When Spencer graduated high school his sole goal was to get into a service academy to become a naval officer. This was his career goal since he was a kid, aiming to follow in his father's footsteps.

For two years he couldn't get into the Naval Academy, instead choosing to attend Rockhurst until he got accepted.

His first year at Rockhurst he had a practice spot on the men's basketball team, which he found helpful as he was able to travel with the team. Before his second year he was again turned down by the Naval Academy, but decided to give up basketball upon returning to Rockhurst to focus on getting accepted on try No. 3. Then Covid hit and everything shut down.

His strategy worked as he again applied to the Naval Academy and finally was accepted. He finished out the semester at Rockhurst, but five days into his plebe summer at the Academy he slipped on a tile floor during a workout and hit his head, sustaining a severe concussion. He was put back into limited training while finishing his recovery and sustained a second concussion, sending him to the hospital.

"I got a second concussion while I still had the first one so it was really, really bad constant headaches," he said. "I really had a lot of problems with noises, got nauseous, things like that. It just wasn't healing so they sent me home to recover and after about a month I recovered."

The day after doctors cleared Spencer to return to the Naval Academy he was driving with his girlfriend near Atchison, Kansas, when he was forcefully rear-ended by another vehicle.

"The bike in my trunk punctured my skull. I had a traumatic brain injury and a fractured skull."

His girlfriend survived the crash, which knocked the car down an embankment.

"I don't remember a single thing from the accident until I had surgery. She remembers every second of it. She looked over and thought I was dead."

Spencer was told he exited the car and ran up the hill to help the people in the other vehicle, who also survived. Emergency workers arrived at the scene, saw Spencer covered in blood and instructed him to lie down.

He had surgery on his head shortly after and was expected to spend at least a month in the hospital. He was recovering so well from the surgery they sent him home three days later so he'd avoid an infection in the hospital. He underwent physical therapy and speech therapy, but was otherwise okay. That was the good news.

The bad news was his dream of being a Naval officer was officially over.

"My whole life is in a different direction now. I had school paid for, I had a career picked out for me, and all of the benefits that come with military officer life and now all that is gone. I'm not eligible to go back."

That's when he turned back to Rockhurst. Now he's got a new set of goals.

"Rockhurst sets me up really well for what I want to do. I want to, at some point, get my MBA. The goal is to get into upper-level business management, so whether that means a master's right away or a master's after a couple years of working, either way the goal is a master's. It's only a matter of when."

Spencer's determination and efforts to complete his undergraduate degree haven't been easy. Due to his brain injuries, he is only able to concentrate for about an hour at a time and retaining what he reads is difficult. Sometimes a simple 3-page paper can take 6-7 hours to complete if he can't remember the class lessons. He uses a disciplined and strategic study schedule, iPad notetaking apps, Quizlets, and assistance from Rockhurst professors to stay on track.

"They said we're here for whatever you need. When there's been a class that I struggle with or if I know that I just had headaches and wasn't going to remember anything, when I talk to [my professors] they'll send me the notes that they had from the board afterward if they didn't post them all. That's nice."

Spencer has gone through a lot of hardships in recent years and the road to his career has taken a lot of new turns. His perspective remains positive, however, and he believes he's better prepared for the road ahead.

"Every step of the way there's been something new, but I've learned there is a way to keep moving forward and now I'm happy where I'm at."

Pictured: Luke Spencer (second from right) on the RockCast podcast (interview available below)

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