Stephen Chrysler doesn’t talk about success in abstract terms. He writes it down.
On a whiteboard in the New York home he shares with his husband and cat are three goals that guide nearly every decision he makes: build a good career, own a home, and live without constant financial stress.
It’s a system that reflects who he is at his core: organized, focused, and relentlessly forward moving. But that clarity didn’t come easily.
Years before he emigrated to the United States from the Philippines, and before he held his current role of as a Program Manager at MSC Industrial Supply, Stephen’s life took a sharp turn. In the wake of his parents’ separation, he made a decision that could have rewritten his future: he dropped out of high school. For many, that moment might mark the beginning of a stalled path. For Stephen, it became something else entirely: a defining line between where he started and where he was determined to go.
Today, that same goal-oriented mindset has him on track to earn his MBA from the University of Arizona Global Campus (UAGC), adding to a list of milestones that also includes recently becoming a U.S. citizen. Because for Stephen, direction isn’t something you find, it’s something you build.
“This MBA degree is personal,” Stephen says. “When I complete it, I will be the first person in my entire family to earn a master’s degree. I have sacrificed a lot to build a better life for myself and my family, and education is one of the biggest ways I know how to keep moving forward.”
(Right) Family portrait including Sylvester, Stephen, and his husband, Josh.
Life in the Philippines
Before the goals, before the whiteboard, structure still existed for Stephen.
He grew up in the Philippines in a lower-middle-class household where routines carried the perfect weight. Mornings had a rhythm, and expectations were clear. School wasn’t optional; it was the plan. Not just for him, but for everyone around him, including his younger siblings. Education was treated like a foundation you didn’t question.
“In the Philippines, we were taught that when we were kids, that education is very important,” Stephen explains. “You are going to go as far as your education does.”
During his early years, he followed that path the way you’d expect from someone wired for order. He showed up. He kept pace. He did what was in front of him.
Then his parents separated.
“That affected me really, really hard, because I'm very family oriented.”
The structure that once defined his day-to-day life began to erode. What had been steady became unpredictable. At school, his attendance slipped, first a day here, then another. At home, the attention he had counted on fractured along with everything else.
He started testing the edges. Smoking. Drinking. Staying out longer. Skipping more often. Not as a rebellion without reason, but as something closer to a signal.
“All those bad things, because I wanted my parents to see it,” he says. “That, you know, what they’re doing is affecting me and my siblings, too. And, unfortunately, they didn't see that.”
Without intervention, the drift from school turned into a break. Finally, Stephen stopped going to school altogether. He moved out. The routine that once anchored him was gone, replaced by something far less defined.
He describes the next two years as a formative period shaped by survival, independence, and discovery. Focused on getting by, he navigated a series of challenges that forced him to rely on himself and grow up quickly. Yet he does not look back on that chapter as a negative one.
“In many ways, it was an exciting time, filled with new experiences, hard-earned life lessons, and meaningful connections with people who helped shape the person I am,” he says. "I don’t regret a thing.”
Gradually, the same lesson that had once felt automatic — that education was the way forward — began to reassert itself.
“I knew that without education the life I wanted for myself would remain out of reach," he explains.
A friend introduced Stephen to the Alternative Learning System (ALS), a program similar to a GED. He showed up, at first out of necessity. Then something shifted. As the ALS program came together, the structure returned. The routine. The measurable progress. Learning, again, became something he chased. And finished in 2010.
Degree in hand, he didn’t pause long enough to overthink the next step. A free tuition program in his province offered a path forward: an agriculture degree.
“I’m like, let’s do it! I need a degree, all I need is a degree, a bachelor’s degree, and then I’ll figure it out later.”
He never moved back home, but he moved forward. He graduated cum laude. Reconnected with his mother. Then he did what he knew how to do best: he built a plan and worked it.
Journey to the States
Applications went out everywhere he felt even slightly qualified — until one came back.
Stephen landed a role as a project development officer within a local social services department in the Philippines. Though his experience was limited, he proved himself quickly, managing projects that connected underserved communities with government resources.
“It was one of the most promising, amazing jobs I’ve ever done. I’m the bridge between them and the government funding… it’s the most wonderful feeling in the world when you know that what you do really impacts people’s lives.”
It was meaningful work. But it wasn’t the finish line.
But while the work was fulfilling, Stephen’s ambitions stretched further. Determined to create greater opportunities, he set his sights on the United States. In 2017, that path began to open when an international exchange program for agriculture graduates brought him to America — the first step in a journey that would eventually lead him to UAGC.
A Lifelong Student
Today, Stephen’s goals are in motion all around him.
He’s a program manager at MSC Industrial Supply, where he manages complex OEM inclusion programs and coordinates efforts across multiple teams. It’s the kind of position with responsibilities he once imagined from a distance: structured, fast-paced, and built on accountability. But even as he settled into the work, he kept one eye on what came next.
“I’ve always wanted to pursue my master’s,” Stephen says. “When I found out that MSC is offering a tuition reimbursement program in partnership with UAGC, I immediately grabbed that opportunity and thought, ‘this is my time.’”
For Stephen, the decision wasn’t just about earning a degree. It was about alignment.
He chose UAGC because it fit the system he had been building for years: clear goals, structured timelines, and the flexibility to execute without disruption.
“What’s great with UAGC is that it’s fully online; you do it at your own time, at your own pace, as long as you meet the deadline,” he says. “I don’t have to worry about it during the day. All I have to do is make sure that within that week, I submit all of the assignments and then I’ll be good to go.”
At work, his ambitions aren’t a secret. He’s direct about where he’s headed and how he plans to get there.
“I wanted to grow and accelerate in the company,” he says. “I’ve been so open with my boss. I told him, ‘Five years from now, I see myself becoming a manager.’”
For Stephen, the MBA isn’t theoretical; it’s practical. Each course connects back to the work he’s already doing, filling in gaps, sharpening instincts, and expanding his understanding of how businesses operate at scale.
“I’m learning a lot through the MBA,” he says. “Accounting, operations, warehouse, how executives and leadership manage businesses,” he says. “It’s very well-rounded. It gives you exposure to all sides of it.”
That connection is especially clear now, as he moves through one of his final courses: project and operations management.
“That’s literally what I do at work,” he says. “The first three weeks at UAGC, we were talking about project management, so I’m very, very excited. I’m thinking I can relate to this course, and I can learn new things, and I can offer real-life examples.”
He pauses, then adds something unexpected for someone so focused on forward momentum.
“I’m kind of… sad that it’s gonna end soon,” he admits.
Because for Stephen, each milestone isn’t just something to check off. It’s something to build on the back of everything he had to go through to get to this point.
“I am most proud of the fact that I never gave up on my education, even when life gave me many reasons to stop. One of my strongest traits is persistence. I am not a quitter, and I believe there is always a way forward if you are willing to keep pushing.”
Goals Within Reach
The same three goals echo in Stephen’s mind with a gentle sharpness: build a good career, own a home, live without constant financial stress.
But now, they’re no longer distant ideas; they’re taking shape in real time and shared with his husband, who, because of Stephen, is also a student at UAGC.
“My husband, Josh, is my biggest supporter," Stephen says, "and we are both earning our master’s degrees at UAGC at the same time. We study together, support each other through deadlines, and understand the pressure that comes with balancing school and work. I rebuilt my life after moving to the United States, and having a partner who believes in me and grows with me makes a real difference.”
Stephen is already working toward a managerial path at MSC Industrial Supply. He’s thinking five years ahead, mapping out the kind of life he wants to step into, one with stability, space, and something as simple and specific as a backyard big enough for his cat, and maybe two more. A home that reflects not just where he is, but how far he’s come.
Last year, he became a U.S. citizen, a milestone now folded into a growing list of goals met through persistence and timing, preparation, and action.
At UAGC, he’s preparing for Spring commencement, an experience he doesn’t take lightly. Not because it marks the end of a program, but because it represents something larger.
“I’m going to be the first person in our family to have a master’s degree, so that’s a very big deal,” he says. “Going to this graduation… I feel like it’s going to be the culmination of all my hardships in life.”
He’s bringing friends. He’s already encouraging coworkers to enroll. The opportunity, in his mind, is too important to keep to himself.
“I told my friends, if there is an opportunity, you gotta grab it, because it may never come again. Don’t overthink it,” he says. “Just take the leap. The rest will follow.”
For someone who once lost his footing, becoming a student again has supported him in a different way.
“Being a student back again… it keeps you grounded,” he says. “Even if you have that extensive real-life experience at work, it’s still different getting that education… If I could do it all over again, I would. Maybe I’ll pursue a doctorate degree, but who knows?”
What’s certain is this: Stephen isn’t finished with his goals or with his growth.
“I’ve been to so many ups and downs,” he says. “But I really believe that if you have a goal, you can do anything. You just have to work hard for it. So, here I am.”