My name is Doug Spencer. I graduated from Humanex in 2002. When I first started at Humanex in 2000 I was technically in my sophomore year but barely had freshman credits. School was never really my "thing." From my first years of junior high school and until I started as Humanex, I was an extremely shut down and depressed person. The years to follow at Humanex helped me to discover the real me. I made friends for the first time in my life and felt accepted for who I was, not what was popular. Schoolwork became fun. I had the support of my friends and the Humanex faculty to guide me through depression and aid me in expressing what was going on in my life at that time. Through the staff’s mentoring and support, I was able to finish on time and join the military.
I spent five years serving our country abroad as ground forces medical support. I lived in Japan for almost four of those five years. In 2005 I was called to augment the 63rd Medical Battalion in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom, and spent nine of the most fulfilling months of my life between five different countries in the Middle East. By the time I was 21 I had traveled over 250,000 miles, been to eight different countries and circumnavigated the globe. In June 2007 I was honorably released from active duty in the United States Navy as a Petty Officer Third Class. It took a few months to adjust to what the military calls civilian life, but I managed quite well.
This past August I enrolled at Arapahoe Community College to start the college journey. I am running slightly ragged with 17 credits but manage to currently hold a 3.0 GPA. I have two more semesters until I will transfer to Colorado State University and continue on the road to a bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Security, double majoring in Japanese language with a minor in business. This Christmas I am traveling to Japan to visits some friends and speak with the chairman of the University of Okinawa in Japan so I can volunteer 45 days this coming summer with their English department. I am very thankful for the staff and principals of Humanex Academy for providing the foundation for my immense and continuing success.