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 graduated from the Spears School of Business as a Top 5 Senior in the School of Accounting after earning multiple scholarships.
Illness, anxiety and homesickness could have driven her to quit, but Phillips’ family and professors motivated her to triumph.
“I have my own moment,” Phillips said. “My journey is just different than others.”
Phillips, 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.
Years later, 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. 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 Christian 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 Spears Business classes. 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.
Along the way, scholarships poured in. The EY Accounting Scholarship, Michael and Judith Johnson Scholarship, Dexter Johnson Scholarship, Charles and Donna Jeffries Scholarship and Regents Distinguished Transfer award supported her journey as a student who was providing for two children.
Angel also had 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 nontraditional 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 stretched beyond typical student responsibilities. An ordinary morning started 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 was time for Angel to focus on school and her student internship at the OSU Foundation.
In the evenings, while Alan pitched in with dinner or took the kids to a restaurant, Angel did homework. The kids had assignments, too. When Eva needed help with a geometry problem this past spring, her mother was there to talk through it.
Angel referred to her own experience as motivation for her children 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 reminded her kids few people are born geniuses. It’s about effort, she said.
Despite challenges, Angel’s effort did not wane. In 2023, a case of mononucleosis left her with brain fog and heightened anxiety. Leading up to graduation, it was especially difficult to live thousands of miles away from her parents.
In Stillwater, she leaned on her community, her strong faith 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.’”
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 launching her career in the field. Since June, she has worked for the OSU Alumni Association as a staff accountant.
After years of struggling with confidence, the mother and graduate 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.
Photos by: Ellie Piper
Story by: Hallie Hart | STATE Magazine