Staunton’s Rhodes Scholar to study at Oxford University in fall

As a student at the Central Shenandoah Valley Regional Governor’s School years ago, Tyler Spencer already was concerned about global warming and international health.

“He always had the commitment to look beyond himself,’’ said Governor’s School Director Linda Cauley, who taught the R.E. Lee High graduate and Staunton native enviromental health at the Governor’s School.

Spencer’s scholarship and commitment were recognized Sunday when he was one of 32 Americans named Rhodes Scholars.

Starting next fall, Spencer will spend two years at England’s Oxford University pursuing a master’s degree in evidence-based social intervention.

Cauley said Spencer is the first known Rhodes Scholar from the area Governor’s School.

Spencer said he expects to take the knowledge he gains in England and apply it to a nonprofit program he has established for AIDS education in Washington, D.C.

The program uses volunteer athletes from D.C. universities as HIV/AIDS educators in Washington public schools and the local boys and girls clubs.

The targeted age group is middle school students. But Spencer also seeks to impact the behavior of the athletes.

“It’s a major problem in our community. Our approach is we want them to join us in the fight against AIDS and educate their friends and parents,’’ Spencer said.

Spencer’s understanding of the scope of the HIV/AIDS problem was fostered by four summers of volunteer work in

South Africa.

He spent time in a grassroots volunteer program near the South Africa-Zimbabwe border where AIDS education was also a priority.

While he saw a consciousness of the disease in Africa, he felt the need to raise the profile in Washington, where the infection rates are high.

“In South Africa the disease was on every billboard and on the radio all the time,’’ Spencer said. “But in D.C., there is an epidemic and a lot of people are in denial.”

Spencer, who earned a bachelor’s degree in international health and sustainable development from the University of Virginia in 2008, comes from a family who have dedicated their lives to health.

His father is a vascular surgeon and his mother a physical therapist.

Cauley said Spencer’s enthusiasm “always enlivened the class with questions or comments.”

“I know he gained a lot of real world experience on his trips to Africa,’’ she said. But she said Spencer also had the “wide-eyed expectation of doing good.”

Spencer’s capped his a Rhodes journey with a 30-minute rapid fire interview before a committee in Washington over the weekend. The committee was composed of past Rhodes Scholars and the former president of George Washington University.

He answered questions from all angles.

He responded Abraham Lincoln when asked which historical figure from the last 500 years he would have lunch with.

“He lost eight elections and failed twice in business,’’ said Spencer of the late president’s perseverance to succeed.

Spencer also answered a series of questions about shots in tennis – his favorite sport. He was a member of the Lee High tennis squad.

And on Sunday, he learned of his selection.

“I’m really excited to travel and explore Europe with other Rhodes Scholars,’’ he said.

And when he returns, Spencer expects to take his training at Oxford and make his program work better.

Cauley expects a bright future for Spencer.

“How many kids his age have established their own foundation? He will use the training at Oxford to good use,’’ she said.

Rhodes Scholarships were created in 1902 in the will of Cecil Rhodes, a British philanthropist and African colonial pioneer.

Past recipients include former President Bill Clinton, former CIA head R. James Woolsey and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.