UHCL alumna named to Texas Rising Stars list

University of Houston-Clear Lake alumna Angelina Wike, an attorney at the Houston-based personal injury law firm of Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner, has been recognized on the Texas Rising Stars list for 2020. Wike, who graduated in 2013 with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and criminology, was recently named to this annual list, published in the Texas Rising Stars issue of the Super Lawyers magazine and Texas Monthly magazine.

Attorneys named to the Rising Stars list go through an extensive selection process and are ultimately chosen based on nominations, independent research, and peer evaluation. To be eligible, attorneys must be under 40 years old or have been in practice 10 years or less. No more than 2.5% of eligible attorneys are named to the list, indicating that Wike is taking her place among a prestigious list of Texas’ top young lawyers.

“My career path began in a completely different industry—high-end retail,” Wike said. “Although I was successful and worked my way into management, I wanted to further my college education in pursuit of a law degree.”

Wike decided to obtain her undergraduate degree from UHCL after a visit to the campus. She appreciated UHCL’s tight-knit community and explained that it differed from her prior experience. “I had previously taken a year of college courses at a much larger university only to discover it was not a good fit for my learning style,” she said. “The classes were smaller and that provided an opportunity for the students to receive more personalized attention.” She was impressed by the diversity of students and faculty at UHCL and felt encouraged being surrounded by so many other students who were making a career change as well.

While at UHCL, Wike chose to study criminology because her goal at the time was to pursue a career in criminal law. Following law school, Wike transitioned into civil litigation and she now advocates for injured individuals.

She graduated from South Texas College of Law in 2016 and has been practicing law for nearly four years.

Learn more about UHCL's Criminology program online.