Today we’d like to introduce you to Maya Phillips.
Maya, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’m 26-year-old native of Jonesboro, GA. I often refer to myself as the “Rose That Grew From Concrete”, an amazing metaphor created by Tupac Amaru Shakur. In the life of a Rose, I’ve bloomed in the oddest seasons of my life and do my best to be God’s reflection as a symbol of love. The meaning behind my name is what I love the most about my story. I was named after Dr. Maya Angelou and my Great Aunt Rose. I AM MAYA ROSE PHILLIPS. My alma mater, VSU and the African American Studies Department, truly helped mold and shape me into the beautiful rose that I am today.
My mentor, Dr. Shirley H. Hardin, was the perfect example of a beautiful, intelligent, strong, community leader and department head that I truly admired from the day I met her. I graduated with my Bachelor’s of Arts in English and minor in African-American Studies from Valdosta State University in 2016. With God’s grace, I received many accomplishments during my time at Valdosta State including: Who’s Who Among American Colleges & Universities, Miss Superlative 2016, African-American Studies Student of the Year, President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. – Theta Tau Chapter, and Vice President of Sigma Tau Delta English Honors Society. Upon graduating in 2016, I felt beyond blessed, thankful, and humble to receive every honor/recognition. Life after graduation is when this Rose’s grew her thorns and began to appreciate my internal/external beauty in the midst of life’s challenges.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In order to successfully grow and blossom into God’s blessing for your life is to understand that nothing in life is perfect. In order to fully reach your potential and calling you have to face life’s obstacles. It may be challenging, difficult, but it is never impossible. I am proud to say my life has not been a smooth road. In fact, I have had several “thorns to add to my rose” and oddly enough a Rose’s thorns completes the flower. The stem of a rose is firm, strong, durable in the most extreme circumstances, and is the foundation of the flower itself. The thorns, however, represent the obstacles, the growing pains, and life’s tribulations.
After graduating in 2016, I struggled for four months to get a professional job and continued working at Victoria’s Secret as a Bra Specialist. I maintained a job at Victoria’s Secret all throughout college for 4+ years and realized that I had to work in retail until I could obtain a non-minimum wage position with a great company. This hit my self-esteem, but I also knew that Victoria’s Secret would be the gateway for the direction God wanted me to go. It is very normal to sink into a post-college depression, but it must be used as motivation. Every obstacle I faced, I used it as more “ammo” to fuel my productive “tank”. I was determined that I will NOT give up because my focus was to appreciate the beauty within my journey.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am honored to be a part of the Miss Universe Organization as a Public Figure & Speaker under the title of Miss Columbia USA 2018. My dad is from Columbia, South Carolina and I was so proud to represent the city he loves. Knowing I was the representative for Miss Universe Organization for the capital of South Carolina was unbelievably humbling and rewarding. Even my Dad’s mother, my Nana who lives in Columbia, had my pageant headshot stuck to her refrigerator with a magnet and told everyone how proud she was of me. This made all of the hard work I have put in throughout the years all worth it. I have to give all glory, honor, and praise to God who is solely responsible for every blessing in my life including this one. I met so many amazing people from doing fundraiser in the community, speaking at local high schools, and meeting resident of Columbia who always blew me away with how much they supported me.
With any and everything that I do, I always God to let his/her light shine through me so that I may be a positive aurora of energy for everyone I come in contact with. I am also the Executive Administrative Assistant for Collins Financial Group in Jonesboro, GA. This company blessed me with the ability to learn more about financial progression with taxes, insurance, credit repairs, real estate, and business consulting. My bosses Tiyari and Farah Collins are an inspiration that I hold in high regards for opening a successful company in Jonesboro/Clayton County that focuses on financial planning services. Being from Jonesboro, I can truly appreciate being a part of Collins Financial Group’s business/staff. The company began in 2008 and was founded by the CEO Mr. Tiyari Collins who is a great mentor to learn from.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I feel that my effervescent personality and “bubbly” spirit is the most important to my success. I am a very positive person who is always in high spirits, happy, and enthusiastic about life. When defined by google, an effervescent personality is someone who is animated, fun to be around, and lively. I can honestly say that this best describes my personality. Having a positive attitude, being confident, and looking at the “brighter” things in life is something I strive for everyday. I’ve been told my smile is contagious and if I remain cheerful it will bring good energy to everyone I come into contact with. With every title that I’ve held or position I have worked as my effervescent personality shines through me with God’s grace.
In order to connect with people you have to leave a lasting impression that genuinely reflects your personality. Dr. Maya Angelou famously said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel”. Having an effervescent, positive, and “bubbly” spirit is the gateway for how I was able to connect with my audience every time I host one of my Stop & Get Informed: Human Trafficking Awareness Forums. I began to advocate for Human Trafficking Victims around the world by focusing on International Awareness in 2014. By being invited to be a paid speaker to a room of 100+ people to educate others on how to prevent Human Trafficking in 2017, was life-changing. My effervescent personality was able to capture my audience, give them positive energy, and create a foundation for understanding my message while also being entertained with my animated personality to capture their attention through my speech. Being an effervescent Rose adds to my aurora and I thank God for the spirit I possess.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=maya+rose+phillips
- Phone: 404-901-0962
- Email: mayarosephillips@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/mayarosephillips
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/maya.r.phillips
- Other: linkedin.com/in/mayarosephillips & www.facebook.com/misscolumbiausa2018
Image Credit:
Maya Rose Phillips
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
