Student-Athlete Of The Month: Meghal Spencer

Meghal Spencer doesn’t have time to sit around.

No, seriously.

The Severna Park junior is a two-sport varsity athlete, a two-position student government electee, a countywide student advocate, and a host of other things.

“I wish I had a quarter of her energy,” one of her volleyball coaches quipped.

It’s well known within Severna Park High’s halls that Spencer does a lot. In fact, it might be shorter to list the things she doesn’t do.

She’s the junior class vice president, while also being the school’s student body president — two entirely different things, she’s quick to explain. The student government association (SGA) position is involved in a lot of the school’s overall programs, like homecoming and mental health week, whereas the junior class role is more about fundraising for the class of 2028’s senior prom and graduation, along with other class-specific events.

Spencer started her journey in student government in seventh grade, where she was involved as an ambassador for the Student Equity Advisory Team, which is a student-led group within Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) focused on student engagement, advocacy and community involvement. She then moved into student roles, being the historian for SGA and the class of 2028, before winning election to her current positions this year.

In addition to being an outside hitter on the Falcons’ volleyball team, she’s also a member of the school’s tennis team, vice president of the school’s Health Occupation Students of America chapter, involved with the school’s Falcon Thon benefiting Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, part of AACPS’ SEAT program, a member of three honor societies, a member of the Key Club, and a tutor through Schoolhouse, which helps students improve their SAT readiness.

It all stems from a mindset that she doesn’t want to miss out on anything she may enjoy during her high school years.

“I have major ‘FOMO’ with everything. I love trying new things. If I see something and it looks even halfway interesting, I’ll give it a shot,” Spencer said. “I’ve played a multitude of instruments, and none of them stuck, but I was excited to try each of them. And everything I do, I like to do well. When I joined SGA, I wasn’t satisfied being just delegate, I wanted to be president. That mindset can be a blessing and a curse, I guess.”

It all can be overwhelming, but Spencer finds refuge in a few places. One of those is the athletic court, whether tennis or volleyball.

She’s done some work improving her own mindset, from being easily overwhelmed or frustrated, and now she hopes to be a conduit of calm for her teammates.

“I hope to be known as the person who had a smile on her face. I had a hard time getting in my head and getting frazzled,” said Spencer, casually throwing in that she’s also deaf in one ear — something she calls her go-to fun fact. “I really want to be able to bring calm and happy energy and infuse that positive vibe with everyone else on the court. All my teammates are that kind of person for me, so I want to be able to give that back to them.”

In those rare moments of free time, Spencer can be seen engaging in books, most recently “The Kite Runner,” and joining her friends on a movie kick. She made sure to see “Obsession,” “The Odyssey” and “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” this summer.

Between that and pursuing knowledge for knowledge’s sake — one of her recent studies revolved around the legal implications of marriage in the 18th century — Spencer has positioned herself as an intentionally well-rounded person, poised to excel in whatever she pursues.

“I want to make sure everything that I’m doing is something I actually care about,” Spencer said. “If you’re going to do something, make sure it’s something that you truly love and you want to spend your time on it. Otherwise, you’ll be miserable.”