By Jonathan Morales

June 15, 2023

Spencer Scruggs' journey to Sac State took him to four colleges in three cities, across two coasts, and nearly a decade.

Now, he is exactly where he wants to be.

Born in Boston and raised in northern Virginia, Scruggs spent his first year of college at High Point University in North Carolina, dropping out when his family could no longer afford the high tuition.

Eventually, he moved to Northern California, where most of his extended family lives. He attended Santa Rosa Junior College until he had enough credits to transfer to a CSU campus, earned some additional summer credits at American River College, and took a break in 2021-22 to pursue an acting career in Los Angeles.

He landed at Sac State in the fall of 2022 and is majoring in Communication Studies.

"The teachers themselves are very down to earth and understanding. They respect I'm coming back for a second time to college.” -- Spencer Scruggs

The campus has been very welcoming to Scruggs, at age 27, a slightly older student whose path to a degree hasn't been straightforward, he said. The course content is "so fascinating," faculty are supportive, and extracurricular activities and events such as concerts have made him feel he's part of the community.

"The teachers themselves are very down to earth and understanding," he said. "They respect I'm coming back for a second time to college.”

Scruggs' time in the movie industry – he starred in the 2022 independent film Lost Inside – left him largely disillusioned with the entertainment business. He's a musician who plays locally and hopes to perform on campus before he graduates.

He said he is considering pursuing a career as a motivational speaker, or perhaps in sales, while continuing to pursue music on the side.

Whatever he ends up doing, Scruggs said he appreciates the path that led him to becoming a Hornet.

"There's a lot of opportunity at Sac State that I wouldn't have otherwise," he said.