A long awaited dream is now within reach for Garvin Phillips who returned to school at age 43. Growing up, Phillips and his family moved a lot going from California to Ohio, Michigan and eventually settling in Phoenix. It was in this last move that he realized a heartbreaking truth…his family was homeless. By the fourth grade, Phillips had missed more days than he attended and education had taken a back seat.
As an adult, Phillips’ main goal was providing for his own family. For years, he worked the night shift in a variety of positions in order to spend time with his kids while his wife returned to school. “It was backbreaking work,” he says.
Within a few years, Phillips’ wife enrolled at GateWay Community College, earned an Associate degree and received a raise. It was then, he realized the importance of education.
“I was like, ‘Wait, she’s making more after a year than I’m making after 12 years with a company,’” says Phillips. “I’m not a genius, but I can figure that out.”
He decided it was time to go back to school and enrolled at GateWay Community College. At first, Phillips says it was uncomfortable. He felt out of place and wasn’t quite sure what he wanted to do. “It was kind of weird and scary and everyone’s younger than I am. Some of the teachers are younger than I am!”
Then Phillips discovered math and remembered his old childhood dream. He wanted to be a teacher, but that dream had been pushed aside and forgotten long ago, until now.
Phillips is now a member of GateWay’s Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and was recently nominated as an All-Arizona Academic. Fellow GateWay student, Miguel Galvez, was also nominated to the All-Arizona Academic Team. Both students were recognized at a special event in March 2016. Each will receive a scholarship for 60 undergraduate credits at any of Arizona’s public universities.
“Garvin exemplifies the ideals of Phi Theta Kappa, specifically by providing leadership as an engaged student and sharing his skills and abilities generously with others as a well-respected tutor on campus,” said Phi Theta Kappa advisor and communication faculty, Dr. Joseph Swaba.
Phillips credits the Learning Center with helping him make the transition to college easier. “The tutors in the Learning Center have been great.” After discovering his abilities in math, a couple of instructors also suggested he work at the Learning Center.
“It’s exciting work. Whether it’s a kid or whether it’s an adult, everyone has that ‘aha!’ face where suddenly it makes sense and I love seeing that.”
Phillips is a founding member of the Math Club and a member of Phi Theta Kappa. He plans to earn his Associate of Science degree from GateWay Community College this summer, transfer to Arizona State University and earn his bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees in Mathematics and eventually become a college professor. For him, this is a life-changing opportunity.
“This means a lot. I was going to have to pick up working more and just take a few classes at a time, just because… I could only afford a few classes at a time, Phillips says.”
This opportunity will enable Phillips to focus entirely on his education and pursue his bachelor’s degree within a year and a half, as opposed to the four years it might have taken him otherwise.
Phillips was selected to be on the first team at the All-Arizona Academic team, meaning he will also receive a $1,000 scholarship. In addition, he was recently named as a Coca Cola Gold Scholar and will receive an additional $1500 scholarship.