Angel Phillips placed her graduation cap on her head. As she stepped into the sunlight for a portrait outside Oklahoma State University’s Business Building, a smile spread across her face.

“I’ve worked 10 years for this,” Phillips said.

The mortarboard, complete with its orange-and-black tassel, is her symbol of bravery.

Over a decade ago, Phillips arrived in Stillwater with no high school diploma. She and her husband, Alan, were raising two children. College was not a consideration.

On May 9, Phillips will graduate from the Spears School of Business as a Top 5 Senior in the School of Accounting.

Illness, anxiety and homesickness could have driven her to quit.

Phillips’ family and professors motivated her to triumph.

“I have my own moment,” Phillips said. “My journey is just different than others.”

Phillips, who just turned 38, grew up in a village in Anhui, a mountainous province in eastern China. Although she was close to her parents, they hadn’t received the formal education to guide her through school. Phillips said both were illiterate during her childhood.

She couldn’t imagine herself as a scholar, either. Overwhelmed with rigorous coursework, Phillips dropped out at 14.

Today, Phillips wonders how her upbringing could have been different with an academic foundation. Although she will never know, adulthood gave her the chance to build her educational journey, step by step.

When she married Alan Phillips, an American engineer who traveled to China for work, she didn’t expect their family to end up in Stillwater. They lived in the Chinese city of Shenzhen and had two children, Eva and Scott.

After five years, the couple realized how expensive it would be to send their kids to an international school in China and started looking at options in the United States. That’s when Alan landed a job as an acoustic engineer at KICKER World Headquarters, one of Stillwater’s prominent businesses.

In November 2014, Angel mustered the courage to move more than 7,000 miles with her husband and kids.

The first few years were lonely. At first, Angel knew no one outside her home, and Stillwater’s wide open spaces contrasted with the skyscrapers and landforms she knew.

Then, her new, bright-orange surroundings sparked a dream.

“We’re in a university town,” Angel said. “There are so many opportunities. So, I told my husband, ‘I think I need to study. I need to go back to school.’”

She started with ninth grade.

A friend suggested she try obtaining her GED through Meridian Technology Center in Stillwater, so Angel took classes there for a couple of semesters around 2016.

She worried, telling her husband she didn’t think she would pass the exams. Angel had learned to speak English, but reading wasn’t the same as talking.

Still, she didn’t quit. In 2019, she connected with Covenant Community School, a small private school in Stillwater. After passing placement exams to enroll, Angel studied for hours on weekends, often reviewing concepts with her husband.

The mother of two graduated from high school with a 4.00 GPA, and she wasn’t finished.

Angel took classes at Northern Oklahoma College in Stillwater, including Survey of Accounting. Although the topic piqued her interest, she was nervous about transitioning to larger classes in Spears Business. Angel sought advice from Stephanie Weckler, who taught accounting at NOC.

“I asked her, ‘Am I ready to go to OSU?’” Angel said. “She told me, ‘Angel, yes, you are ready. If you are not ready, nobody is ready because you study so hard.’”

With the confidence boost, Angel started as a Spears Business student in 2023. Quickly, she learned about the Top 5 Seniors awards for each Spears Business department and set a goal to graduate from the School of Accounting with that honor.

Angel gained support from several faculty mentors, including associate professors Drs. Craig Sisneros and Michael Wolfe. Sisneros taught Angel in Intermediate Accounting, which he described as “a tough subject for any student.”

“Most think it is math, but it is really a language class with a side of math and logic,” Sisneros said. “The most confusing part is using English words and giving them new meaning in accounting. Angel’s first language is not English, she is juggling responsibilities as a mom and wife, coming back to school as a non-traditional student, and entered a class where I challenge students to push their limits.

“It wasn’t easy. She persevered, she showed grit, and she let me know this was the hardest she ever worked for any class.”

Angel's schedule stretches beyond typical student responsibilities. An ordinary morning starts around 6:30 a.m. with packing school lunches and making breakfast for Eva and Scott, 15 and 13, respectively. Since Eva is gluten intolerant, Angel has prepared meals to accommodate her daughter’s needs since first grade.

With Eva at Stillwater Junior High and Scott at Stillwater Middle School, it’s time for Angel to focus on work and school. Along with classes, she has worked as a student intern at the OSU Foundation from June 25 until her graduation.

In the evening, while Alan pitches in with dinner or takes the kids to a restaurant, Angel does homework. The kids have assignments, too. When Eva needs help with a geometry problem, her mother is there to talk through it.

Angel refers to her own experience as motivation for her daughter to not give up.

“I said, ‘Your mom’s studying in the office for almost 10 years,’” Angel said. “‘This is a real case. You saw it.’”

Angel reminds her kids that few people are born geniuses. It’s about effort, she says.

Despite challenges, Angel's effort has not waned. In 2023, a case of mononucleosis left her with brain fog and heightened anxiety, which can create troubling thoughts of self-doubt. Angel also misses her parents, who have been unable to visit because of holdups in the travel visa process.

In Stillwater, she leans on her community and herself.

“I just have to convince myself, ‘You can do it. You’re fine,’” Angel said. “‘So many people love you and also care about you. You’re not alone.’”

As she prepares to cross the graduation stage, her School of Accounting mentors are rooting for her. Sisneros is inspired by Angel's character.

“She refused to settle,” Sisneros said. “Refusing to settle will serve her well in an accounting career, in life, and sets the example for her children and everyone around her, including me.”

Angel reached her goal of graduating as a Top 5 Senior in accounting and is ready for a career in the field.

With commencement approaching, she is preparing herself for the flood of emotions.

“When I’m on the stage, I’ll probably cry all the time,” she said. “I know how hard I worked for 10 years.”

After years of struggling with confidence, the mother and graduate-to-be reflected on her many milestones with a new perspective. Sitting in the business building’s courtyard, Angel contemplated the best way to describe herself throughout her academic journey.

Determined. Bold. 

She grinned as another word came to mind, fitting perfectly.

Brave.