We interrupt all that noise coming from that corner of the golf world which has lost its way to call your attention to a young man named Mcphillips Akukwe. His family story and his achievements can hopefully re-direct our attention to the greatness of this game and not the silliness that spills out.
Now if you are wondering about his first name, it’s just a small sidelight to his tale, but here goes: “I’m not sure if there’s anything behind it except (my parents) wanted a stand-out name,” laughs Mcphillips. “They considered Michael or Phillips and sort of (put) them together.”
His older brothers are Thomas and Nathan and a younger brother is Brian. More conventional, for sure, but where things stand out for this family from Hyde Park is the inspiring commitment to education and the way in which golf has played a role.
Mcphillips Akukwe isn't a golfer, but he appreciates how golf played a big role in his education.
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We are not talking his ability to play the game, mind you, because Akukwe does not play golf. No, we are talking about the innate goodness within a huge community of golfers that enables the Francis Ouimet Scholarship Fund to be the vehicle by which so many deserving students get to attend the college of their choice.
For Mcphillips Akukwe, it was Boston College, a reality “that still fills me with so much pride,” he said.
That he has graduated from BC’s school of nursing and is currently taking courses to prep for his boards is a massive tribute to Mcphillips’ determination and discipline. But ask him what pushed him to consider nursing – specifically in pediatrics – and it shifts the story to even more inspiring heights.
“My mother (Augusta) has been a nurse for more than 20 years (at the Suffolk County Jail),” he said. “I’m not sure I could do that job, but she believes in providing holistic care, equal care no matter what.
“She worked very hard, went to Suffolk and Northeastern, and is dedicated to her job. I’m in awe of her.”
Digest his level of love and admiration for a moment. Then consider the sacrifices his mother, Augusta, and father, Ferdinand, made in their lives, and the challenges they faced. They are from Nigeria and the decision to come to America was made for one reason. “My father had a dream to come to the U.S. and make better lives,” said Mcphillips.
Ferdinand’s dream was similar to the dream our grandparents or great-grandparents had so Mcphillips’ story should resonate.
Augusta’s and Ferdinand’s sons were born and raised in Hyde Park and each of them were put on a road that their parents insisted would provide better lives for them, too. “Every day, they preached education,” said Mcphillips.
Thomas and Nathan went to the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, respectively. Mcphillips attended Boston Latin before BC. And Brian, the youngest, is a student at UMass-Boston.
If you’re thinking they all heeded their parents’ advice about education, give yourself a gold star. But here’s even more flavor – each of them took part in the Ouimet Scholarship Program at George Wright Golf Course and each of them is a Ouimet Scholar.
“I remember Thomas was looking for a summer job and how he was told about the opportunity at George Wright. He was always coming home and telling us we’d love the job because we’re outside and it would be a great summer job,” said Mcphillips.
The fresh air and the camaraderie and just being around the game of golf. All of that was as advertised. But when information was passed on about Ouimet scholarships and how financial aid was available to those with dreams for furthering their education, “we saw it as an amazing opportunity to go to college.”
There were plenty of days when Akukwe would stroll through the BC campus and pass the Lynch School of Education. No big deal. Then, one day he was connected to some Ouimet alums and it was noted how Mcphillips had been awarded the Peter S. Lynch Scholarship.
The same Peter S. Lynch whose name adorned that building at BC.
“It all came to me, how countless alumni are still connected to this scholarship fund,” said McPhillips. To know that Peter S. Lynch, long before he became an icon in the world of investing, mutual funds, and philanthropy, was a caddie and a Ouimet scholar was eye-opening.
“It blew my mind,” said Mcphillips.
Role models and mentors, Mcphillips will note, are important, and he’s been blessed to have many in his life, including the pediatrician he used to go to when he was a child. His desire to go into pediatrics is owed, in part, to the influences that doctor had on him.
On the road to becoming a nurse, Mcphillips thinks more than ever that he was able to attend the college of dreams, BC, in large part because of a scholarship from a program tied at the hip to golf. It impresses him to this day and is why he did the “I am a Ouimet scholar” video for the organization.
None of this “grow the game” nonsense from Mcphillips Akukwe. He’s giving thanks to the game.
