The path of happenstance
by Megan Garza (B.B.A. ’21)
Life can change in unexpected ways. No one knows this better than Shawn Spurgeon, Ph.D.
From entering college as a pre-med major in North Carolina to working as the Program Director for the Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education and Supervision at St. Mary’s University, Spurgeon’s path has had many twists and turns.
The path to counseling
After switching from pre-med to psychology, Spurgeon graduated with his bachelor’s degree and began working as a youth outreach assistant director. During this time, Spurgeon found his interest in counseling.
“In the evenings, the kids would sit around and talk to me,” said Spurgeon, who is also an Associate Professor of Counseling and Human Services. “My mind would just be blown away hearing their stories, and I didn’t know what to do — I was just listening. I felt powerless to help them.”
Two years into his work, one of Spurgeon’s fraternity brothers graduated with a master’s in School Counseling. At the time, Spurgeon did not know much about counseling but soon realized it could have a huge impact on the kids with whom he worked.
Spurgeon enrolled in a master’s program in School Counseling before realizing mental health counseling was his true passion. After graduating with his master’s, Spurgeon planned to work in private practice.
A few days before graduation, Spurgeon went to bed excited about his upcoming full-time career. In the middle of the night, he awoke to the realization he could not move his legs.
After visiting the doctor, Spurgeon was diagnosed with a viral infection that paralyzed the nerves in his legs. The diagnosis was one in a million. After many weeks of treatment, Spurgeon recovered, but his outlook was changed forever. Originally planning to wait a few years before pursuing a doctoral degree, he now knew the future was always unexpected.
“You never know what’s going to happen,” Spurgeon said. “I woke up one morning, and my legs couldn’t move. I think I should go get my Ph.D. now.”
Spurgeon began his doctoral studies with the goal of opening a private practice. As a program requirement, doctoral students co-teach a class with a faculty member. One day, Spurgeon had to teach the class alone. He discovered something crucial was missing from his bag. His teaching notes were still on his desk at home.
He had no option but to rely on his knowledge and wing it. Once class ended, the students told him it was the best class ever. Spurgeon was shocked, but his professors were not. They always believed he was a natural teacher.
“In both situations, going to get my master’s, going to get a Ph.D., it wasn’t planned,” Spurgeon said. “It was kind of happenstance. I tell students that all the time. You just don’t know what direction your life is going to take.”
The path to research
Throughout Spurgeon’s time as a professor, his research drew on his own experiences. One of his first research projects studied African American males’ identity development across their lifespan. In high school, Spurgeon had many classmates who he often considered much smarter than he was, but who were placed in lower-level classes. He wanted to understand why.
This research provided Spurgeon with a way to advocate for students beyond his own classroom. Faculty reach out to him to get his perspective on students who are great but not engaged.
“One of the things I realized is not how it necessarily informed my teaching, but it informed the way I interact in this profession,” he said. “I need to be a more intentional mentor.”
Over the last 10 years, Spurgeon has shifted his focus to counselor-identity development, which is another personal interest. With his own career as a counselor relying much on happenstance, Spurgeon wanted to see how people decide to become counselors.
During his research, Spurgeon discovered many tools and tactics that help in the classroom. For example, students gain more from materials that reflect on the lesson than from lectures alone.
“For someone like me, who likes to lecture, how might my class look now?” Spurgeon said. “I want to meet the needs of the students, and I want to provide the best possible education for them.”
The path to St. Mary’s
After teaching in several states, Spurgeon made his way to Texas in 2021. One of Spurgeon’s good friends from his doctoral program, Melanie Harper, Ph.D., Professor Emerita of Counseling and Human Services at St. Mary’s University, heard he was considering moving to San Antonio and convinced him to visit the University. By this time, Spurgeon had learned to trust fate to guide his path and accepted a position as an adjunct professor.
Shawn Spurgeon, Ph.D.“The most powerful thing I’ve gained in training at the master’s and doctoral level in teaching is self-knowledge. Knowledge of myself, awareness of who I am as an individual, as a father, as an African American male in this country, as a husband, as a parent, sibling, uncle. I’ve learned so much about who I am.”
For Spurgeon’s students, his passion for teaching and mentoring is evident. For Vanessa Gill (Ph.D. ’24), an alumna of the Counselor Education and Supervision Program, Spurgeon’s supportive and understanding nature was, ultimately, the reason she chose him as her dissertation chair.
“Dr. Spurgeon is one of the best academics I’ve experienced,” Gill said. “He is transparent, joyful, kind, very knowledgeable and humble. Those are all things that I so appreciate about him, and the way that he empowers people to step into their own sense of authority.”
Mariana Torres, a current Clinical Mental Health Counseling student, sees Spurgeon putting his research into action every semester.
“He does this tradition where he will ask everyone what one thing they learned or something that shocked them or surprised them that semester, and any sort of feedback that we have for him specifically,” Torres said. “He genuinely wants to make the classes better for students.”
Throughout his time as a counselor and counselor educator, Spurgeon has learned that prospective counseling students should be prepared for self-knowledge.
“The most powerful thing I’ve gained in training at the master’s and doctoral level in teaching is self-knowledge,” he said. “Knowledge of myself, awareness of who I am as an individual, as a father, as an African American male in this country, as a husband, as a parent, sibling, uncle. I’ve learned so much about who I am.”
