LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Anthony Bilyeu

Position: Computer Aided Design Teacher
School: Southern Oklahoma Technology Center
School District: Southern Oklahoma Technology Center
City, State: Ardmore, OK

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Anthony Bilyeu was nominated by his colleague, Amber Pershica.

Mr. Bilyeu has been employed at Southern Tech since 2011. He has been an inspiration to students and staff from the moment he stepped foot on campus. He is the type of educator who comes in early, stays late, and offers to attend any and all activities that involve students.

Working at a technology center is a different environment than most public schools. Instructors are preparing students for the workforce, and they aren't only teaching academic skills, but employability skills in order for these students to succeed. Each program has a student organization that students belong to. CAD, along with many other programs, are a part of Skills USA. Mr. Bilyeu has been an advisor and campus president for his school's Skills USA group since 2011. He has had more than 30 students qualify for the state competition, and his group has advanced to nationals each year. Mr. Bilyeu developed a campus-wide program that encourages all students involved in Skills USA to have the opportunity to be a leader. He organizes orientation, assemblies, and campus wide events for the more than 400 students that belong to this group.

"He recently asked me about starting an organization for students to come on Saturdays simply so they would belong to a club that could keep them interactive and out of trouble on the weekends," said Pershica.

Mr. Bilyeu attended Kiamchi Technology Center in high school and has been a part of the Career Tech world for many years. He graduated from OSU with a Career and Technical Education degree and has a standard teaching certificate for levels 5-12. Like most teachers, he loves his students and is willing to do anything for them to be successful. He encourages his students to take part in leadership and skills competitions. Mr. Bilyeu and a handful of his colleagues even host a Manufacturing Day, where multiple businesses set up booths and speak with students about potential job opportunities. He attends the College and Career Fair every year to promote his program and has taken not only his students, but countless others to the Fall Leadership conference when no one else was available to go. He also teaches as an adjunct instructor at night for adults in the computer aided design program.

"Anthony is a very quirky, energetic instructor who inspires teachers to be more involved," said Pershica. "I read an article that reminded me of Mr. Bilyeu. The article was titled Be Their Batman, and Mr. Bilyeu is definitely our Batman. He does not have superpowers, nor does he wear a cape, but he is just a man who has taken it upon himself to better the surroundings of our district and his classroom."

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Comments (11)

Darla Buck Posted over a year ago

Anthony is one of the best teachers at SouthernTech. He’s continued to take multiple students to Nationals since the first year he started working for the school. His students all find jobs quickly and sometimes have to train their boss because Anthony continues to teach student on the latest and greatest software. He keeps the classroom fun yet professional and he teaches them to use state of the art software and 3D printers. With two different pathways available he’s constantly multitasking and having to switch modes from one pathway to another. Anthony is smart and witty and SouthernTech is very lucky to have him as an instructor.

Denise Langston Posted over a year ago

Mr. Bilyeu was my AutoCAD teacher. Has a wonderful sense of being. And it carries through to his teaching. Mr. Bilyeu deserves to be the Life Changer of the Year for the impact he makes on his students and the people he works with. I proudly support Anthony Bilyeu

Arlene Dupree Posted over a year ago

Anthony Bilyeu is a quiet competitor. He is an encourager and inspiration to his students and colleagues. I have seen him get students involve and bring them to their next level with as much excitement as the student and with equal enthusiasm. He has developed the students within the program he teaches to not just be competitors but winners in state and national competitions. He draws out the best in others!

Alisha Mason Posted over a year ago

Anthony instructs with a true student centered approach. He has a unique way of relating to students. Students in his class are genuinely excited to learn. He is an invaluable teammate as well! Very deserving of this award in my opinion.

Jared Fisher Posted over a year ago

Mr. Bilyeu taught my CAD class back in 2015 or so, by far my favorite teacher I've ever had. Haven't had a 3+ hour long class that engaged me the whole way through since!

Cody Moore Posted over a year ago

A few years ago, I was a student of Anthony’s. I was studying architecture with the hopes of getting an upper hand on my peers as we were all getting ready to enter the work force. My first year in Anthony’s class was fantastic, we participated in contests and took a few school trips. While away on one of these school trips we were taken to one Anthony’s colleges. It was during this tour of the campus that I decided where I wanted to attend college myself. During my second year in his class I was presented an opportunity to intern with a local company. It was Anthony’s connections to this company that landed me a position there. I changed from learning Architecture to learning Civil Surveying and Civil Drafting while employed there. It’s Anthony’s connection that made me decide on what I wanted to study in college. A few years have passed since I’ve been away from his classroom, but I can say it is because of Anthony’s good heart and helpful attitude that I will be graduating in the Summer of 2020 with a Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering. A warm thank you from myself to Anthony as he is the reason my life took a turn for the better.

Stephen Hadwin Posted over a year ago

I am very fortunate to have a classroom adjacent to Mr. Bilyeu. Anthony is my go to guy for anything instructor related. I get to work early each day to prepare for class, but somehow Anthony always manages to arrive earlier than me. He seems to always take on more responsibility each year as an instructor and leader. Whenever I struggle with some type of lesson or class procedure or student management, I instinctively head next door and ask his opinion. This summer we traveled together to SkillsUSA Nationals competition, his experience and leadership made the experience tenfold better.. We get a chance to talk about things other than school and Anthony is a kind and considerate about all issues we may discuss. When you talk to his students, you realize very quickly they adore him and excel to please him. A great attribute for a teacher...

Kyle Lee Posted over a year ago

I have known Anthony since we were in college together many many years ago. He was always encouraging and happy and had all the qualities that make him a great teacher even when we were teenagers. I’m not at all surprised that he has made himself into an honored instructor. He deserves every award he gets. He’s the type of person any job force is lucky to have.

Lindsey Bilyeu Posted over a year ago

I am honored to be the wife of this amazing man. I see how hard he works and how much he cares for his students. He enjoys bragging on them, telling funny stories that happen in the classroom, and tries to help if a student finds themselves in a difficult situation. He especially loves getting students involved in SkillsUSA. He's always proud of his students regardless of contest outcomes. He enjoys giving them the experience and it may be the encouragement that they need to excel. He's great at encouraging his students to suceed. He balances fun and work to keep the learning environment interesting. He focuses on the positive when it comes to his students and makes success possible. He's also a great listener and is always there if a student needs to talk. With all the great work that he does, he is still the most humble person that I know. Nothing he does is for his own glory, but is for his students to shine. He's a great man, teacher, and husband! He greatly deserves this award.

Laura Posted over a year ago

Very hard worker! Loves his job and it shows! Every year he has students place in competition and usually that’s 1st place! The world needs more teachers like this!!!

Barney Naioti Posted over a year ago

Good job Anthony. All of us Missourians are proud of you!