Eau Claire graduate to follow in her veteran grandfather’s footsteps in the Navy

Ashley Spencer is an all-American girl.

Raised in rural South Carolina, she wants to serve in the military, like her grandfather who fought in Vietnam. That’s why she did JROTC in high school and was accepted into the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Rhode Island.

“My grandpa was in the military, and I like how it molded him,” Spencer said. “Also, I was in the Navy ROTC program, and I liked the structure and what it was about.”

She lost her grandfather a few years ago, but the Eau Claire High School senior looks forward to carrying on his legacy of service.

A five-sport athlete — volleyball, cross country, track, cheerleading and soccer — Spencer also found time to sing in her church choir.

Not only did Spencer finish in the top 5% of her class and win Eau Claire’s scholarship pageant, Miss Shamrock, she also racked up a more than a year’s worth of college credits at Midlands Technical College.

But opportunities, especially academic ones, didn’t always come easy to Spencer.

Long before the COVID-19 pandemic forced rural families to hunt for wireless internet to complete school assignments, Spencer was doing just that, said her mom, Ginger Spencer. In order to get wifi, the Spencers would have to drive to the library. But if studying ran late and the library was closed, they would often end up at a fast-food restaurant and use the wifi to submit assignments, Ginger Spencer said.

“I ... want people to know about accomplishments, but at the end of the day I’m a hard worker, and anything I feel like I can do, or any situation I’m put in I feel like I can get through it,” Ashley Spencer said.

Asked why Spencer chose to be involved in so may activities, her mom said, “I’ll take credit for that one.”

“I’ve always encouraged them to be involved,” Ginger Spencer said of her four children. Ashley is the second oldest.

Beneath the stacked resume and Spencer’s rigid “yes sir, yes ma’am” demeanor is a friendly, hopeful teen who loves animals.

Asked what kind of animal she likes best, or whether she’s a dog or a cat person, Spencer says with a laugh, “I love ‘em all. They’re so cute.”

Despite losing her father and her grandfather a few years ago, Spencer has retained her helpful and friendly personality, said Eau Claire Principal Neshunda Walters.

Spencer is “really easy going, positive, very flexible, very friendly,” Walters said. She is “always willing to help others when she can.”