Award-winning video

STATESBORO, Ga. - On paper, she's a 5-foot-9 guard from Greenville, South Carolina.  A sophomore, majoring in exercise science, she leads the Georgia Southern women's basketball team in scoring this season, averaging 12 points per contest. She also stakes claim to the top spot in field goals made, assists and steals. 

Of course, this is all on paper.

The real story of Angel McGowan, however, runs much deeper than any objective statistics can prove.

She is described by those who know her best as humble and even a little bit shy.  One who goes out of her way to help anybody, and one who would prefer to cast the spotlight on others than talk about herself. On the court, she is a competitor.

A two-time National Gymnast of the year during her middle schools days, McGowan's passion for basketball could not be quelled as she made the summersault to the game she loved full-time in 7th grade.

"I loved basketball and I knew I was disciplined enough to learn the game and be successful," the soft-spoken McGowan confirmed.  "My parents are a big influence on me."

Those parents, Dondi and Wandra McGowan, both high school teachers at the time, began an anti-bullying campaign called "Stomp Out The Bullying" and asked Angel if she wanted to be a part of it. 

That is where this story begins.

"My parents asked me how I could contribute to the anti-bullying campaign, so I wrote a children's book," said McGowan.  "It's for elementary school kids.  Mikey is a little boy who is afraid to go to school because he is getting bullied.  At some point in the story, he wants to fight back aggressively, but in the end, he comes up with a way to deal with the bully without getting in trouble himself.  He chooses to talk with a responsible adult, which is how you should handle bullying in school."

What began as a children's story in the mind of a high school junior, quickly became a published book from Outskirts Press.  The manuscript, submitted by Wandra, who is a published author herself, was accepted and an illustrator was chosen among Angel's classmates at J.L. Mann High School.  The process took just over three months from start to finish.

Once the book was completed, Angel spent time at outreach centers and elementary schools in Greenville sharing the message of Mikey and what to do if you are being bullied.  

In 2012, she submitted an accompanying video with the same message to the "No Bull Challenge." It won the Red Carpet National Best Message Award, which she received at the national event in San Francisco. The reception included national recognition and a $2,000 college scholarship.  

She was recognized by South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley for her effort to raise awareness for anti-bullying during her senior year of high school, while also garnering all-state basketball honors for her 20.1 average points per game. 

"One of the things we look for in recruiting is not simply being a good athlete, but also being a good person," explained Georgia Southern coach Chris Vozab.  "Angel stood out in the recruiting process, and we were so impressed.  We were confident in her athletic ability but even more so in her moral fiber.  We knew what she could do as a player, but learning about her tackling such a key issue in the way she did made me feel that we absolutely needed her in our program."
  
This fall, the Eagles volunteered at Claxton Elementary School and shared the book and story of Mikey.  They spoke to the students about how to handle bullying and how to speak up if you witness anybody being bullied.

"Her teammates think it's a really cool thing," said Vozab. "We have the book in our office and they love thumbing through it."   

Wandra McGowan has seen firsthand the impact her daughter's book has made at her school.  A student approached her after class with a written list of examples of bullying on a piece of paper.

"She said the book made her feel confident in sharing," recalls Wandra. "Because of that, we were able to address the situation quickly and get it resolved before it escalated any further."

McGowan summed it up best, "If you are getting bullied, don't think that you are alone and don't be afraid to speak up.  Find a trusted adult and work with them to get the problem solved!"

The future for McGowan is indeed bright.  A complimentary Vozab explained, "Angel is only a sophomore, but she is somebody that we see as having the potential to emerge into a leader.  What she's done with her book and her ability to impact people around her positively speaks volumes, and we know she is capable of stepping into a leadership role on this team."

"Stomp Out The Bullying" is available at major book retailers.

McGowan and the Eagles will return to action Sunday, Dec. 21, at noon when they take on Eastern Washington at the Gator Holiday Classic in Gainesville, Florida.

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