杏吧专区淪he believed she could, so she did.杏吧专区
That杏吧专区檚 Lizette Ochoa Phillips杏吧专区 motto. 
After she got into a bad car accident when she was 18, doctors told her she might not walk again.
After her husband died when she was 30, she became a widow and single mother, unsure of her next step.
In each case, she believed she could rise to the challenge, so 杏吧专区 with discipline, drive, faith, and family 杏吧专区 she did.
At UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 Summer 2023 Commencement, she walked across the stage with her motto written in glitter on her cap. She earned her MBA in just 13 months while working full time as a single mother.
And she杏吧专区檚 not stopping there.
Bouncing Back
When Phillips杏吧专区 husband, Nathan, passed away unexpectedly in 2018, she didn杏吧专区檛 quite know what her path forward would be.
Together, they were a great team. They both had children from previous marriages, and planned to lean on each other杏吧专区檚 strengths to provide for their blended family.
杏吧专区淗e was a handyman who could fix anything, and I was like a computer who could figure out any program,杏吧专区 she recalls. 杏吧专区淭ogether, we wanted to build a legacy of rental houses we could give to our children one day and create a passive income.杏吧专区
But when Nathan passed, those goals shifted.
杏吧专区淎fter he died, we were straight up focused on just surviving,杏吧专区 she recalls. 杏吧专区淓ventually, I realized I needed to stop dreaming the dreams we had as a couple and start dreaming for me.杏吧专区
She credits God for helping her get to that point.
杏吧专区淚 was able to get to the point of believing in myself because of my faith in God,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淚t杏吧专区檚 not in my power but in God杏吧专区檚 strength.杏吧专区
It took four years to reach that mindset. Once she did, Phillips knew she needed to level up her career to give her daughter the life she wanted for her.
杏吧专区淚 had found my soulmate who I wanted to be with forever, and he passed away,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淚 wasn杏吧专区檛 looking for somebody to take care of me. I was looking to take care of myself and my daughter.杏吧专区
As a Lafayette native, she looked to the 杏吧专区 for online graduate degree options. She chose the MBA for its broad and useful curriculum.
杏吧专区淚 knew the MBA program was going to give me that push and open more doors,杏吧专区 she says.
It Takes a Village
Phillips wanted a graduate program that would let her be there for her daughter.
杏吧专区淚 did the MBA program online,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淲hen I started the program, my daughter was 10. I didn杏吧专区檛 want to take away her time with the parent she still had.杏吧专区
The online program let Phillips do her schoolwork after her daughter went to bed, while still spending evenings and weekends with her.
Luckily, her parents were there to help her with her parenting duties.
杏吧专区淢y mom and my dad helped me with pick up and drop off at school for my daughter. My mom would also cook for us, so we wouldn杏吧专区檛 have to worry about dinner sometimes. My dad would even come and take care of the grass and house stuff.杏吧专区
On Sundays, her parents took care of groceries and weekly prep. That gave Phillips time to catch up on her work.
杏吧专区淚杏吧专区檝e had a village to support me,杏吧专区 Phillips says. 杏吧专区淢y family is always there, even if they weren杏吧专区檛 there to support me financially through school. I want to give my daughter that same support when we're older, and to do that, I need to excel and grow in my career.杏吧专区
Finding Her Future
While in the MBA program online, Phillips worked on building a strong support system.
杏吧专区淵ou杏吧专区檙e going to get as much out of the MBA program as you put into it,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淚f you杏吧专区檙e putting in the bare minimum, you杏吧专区檙e going to get the bare minimum in return. But if you engage in the discussion forums and the people in your classes, you'll have a network of people you can connect with even after you finish.杏吧专区
Moreover, the program allowed Phillips to explore paths she didn杏吧专区檛 know existed. She loves accounting, and the required accounting coursework in the program showed her options beyond earning a CPA license.
杏吧专区淚 don't really care to be a CPA just because I've never wanted my own clientele. I don杏吧专区檛 even do my own taxes anymore,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淚 prefer internal auditing because I like to find errors. I like to investigate. I like to follow the money. It杏吧专区檚 like putting puzzle pieces together.
杏吧专区淚n the MBA accounting course, they showed us the Certified Internal Auditor, Certified Fraud Examiner, and other government courses you can take. You don杏吧专区檛 just have to be a CPA.杏吧专区
Phillips杏吧专区 current role is in the Acadiana Planning Commission杏吧专区檚 accounting department. She keeps the agency杏吧专区檚 records and finances organized so the team can continue its work to improve quality of life in the area.
杏吧专区淲ith the grant work, for every dollar we spend, we do about 20 pages of documentation behind it,杏吧专区 she jokes. 杏吧专区淭hat杏吧专区檚 what accounting people like me do.杏吧专区
Her goal is to continue advancing in the accounting space and, in the process, create a better life for herself and her daughter.
Since earning an MBA, she杏吧专区檚 already been promoted from bookkeeper to accountant.
And whatever she believes she can do next, we know she will.
杏吧专区淚 know I have faced many challenges in my life, but God has carried me through,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淚 know He will continue to carry me through.杏吧专区