LifeAlaska · May 7, 2026
17 and done with college
Rainey Spurlock, 17, of Palmer became UAA's youngest ever graduate this weekend, earning a communications degree.
Daily Alaska staff · May 7, 2026
Rainey Spurlock, 17, of Palmer became the youngest person to graduate from the University of Alaska Anchorage since the school began keeping records in the 1990s. She walked at UAA's spring commencement on Sunday at the Alaska Airlines Center, earning a degree in communications.
Rainey started taking classes at UAA when she was 13, while still enrolled at Mat-Su Central, the Mat-Su Borough hybrid homeschooling school. Because she was too young to attend classes alone, her grandmother Brenda Spurlock enrolled in the same courses and studied alongside her for years.
Rainey gave the undergraduate commencement address on Sunday and used most of her time at the podium to credit her grandmother for making her college path possible.
Rainey is also a working actress with credits across television, film, and video games, including a role in Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order. For families in Palmer, Wasilla, Big Lake, Houston, and at Mat-Su Central, her graduation is one of the standout local stories of the spring.
In this story
Questions people ask
How old is Rainey Spurlock?
She's 17 years old.
What record did she set at UAA?
She's the youngest person ever to graduate from the University of Alaska Anchorage since the school started keeping records in the 1990s.
What degree did she earn?
She graduated with a degree in communications.
How did her grandmother help?
Her grandmother Brenda enrolled in the same classes and sat in with her for years because Rainey was too young to attend alone.
Evidence
Sources
Claims and where they come from
- Rainey Spurlock, 17, of Palmer is the youngest person to graduate from UAA since the school began keeping records in the 1990s. · alaskasnewssource.com
- Rainey Spurlock walked at UAA's spring commencement on Sunday and earned a degree in communications. · alaskasnewssource.com
- Rainey started taking classes at UAA at age 13 while enrolled at Mat-Su Central, and her grandmother Brenda enrolled with her. · alaskasnewssource.com
- Rainey Spurlock is a working actress with credits in TV, film, and the video game Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order. · alaskasnewssource.com
Produced with AI assistance, narrated with Slav Lund's voice clone with his consent, and reviewed by a person before publishing. How we use AI →