A Dream 20 Years in the Making — Help Me Walk the Stage

Hi everyone,

My name is Angelina Wagner, and a week ago, I successfully defended my dissertation, officially becoming a Doctor of Business Administration.

Even writing those words feels almost unreal.

With the encouragement of so many kind people, I’ve created this GoFundMe — not just to walk across a graduation stage, but to celebrate a journey that has been anything but ordinary.

I was born to a single mother who struggled deeply, both with being alone and with the complexities of raising a mixed-race Black child in the 90s. Because of the life we lived, CPS was often involved, and my siblings and I spent time in and out of foster care. To avoid this, we moved constantly, staying in shelters, public parks, and motels for much of my childhood.

As a result, I was never enrolled in school. I wasn’t allowed to learn anything on my own because my mother believed a Black girl shouldn’t be more educated than a Native boy.

At 16 years old, desperate for freedom and the chance at a better life, I ran away.

At that time, I couldn’t even read.

Like many young people who grow up in hard circumstances, I became a mother young, pregnant at 17. But even while raising a little one as a young one myself, I never gave up on the dream that education could change our lives.

For the greater part of nine years, I was a single mother, often working two jobs while attending school, fighting to build a different future for my daughter and me. Later, I met and married my husband, and together we’ve continued building that dream.

Each degree along the way has been earned through seasons of deep struggle:

My Bachelor’s degree came just two days before giving birth to my daughter Paytonn. Severe postpartum depression made it impossible to truly celebrate.

My Master’s degree came during COVID, when ceremonies were canceled and finances were stretched thin.

And now, after years of quiet perseverance, I’ve earned my Doctorate — something I once only dared to imagine.

This December, there is a grad walk ceremony in San Diego, California.

It would mean the world to me to walk the stage — not just for this degree, but for every step, every tear, and every leap of faith it took to get here.

It would be a celebration not only of my education but of every person who has ever dared to hope for more, even when the odds were stacked against them.

To make this happen, I need a little help covering the costs for myself and my family of four:

Flights from Connecticut to California for four people

Lodging for several nights near the graduation venue

Rental car and transportation

Food and basic expenses during the trip

Graduation regalia (required for doctoral graduates), which costs between $479 and $944

If you feel moved to help through a donation, a share, or simply sending encouragement, it would mean more than I can ever express.

This isn’t just about a ceremony.

It’s about standing up for that 16-year-old girl who ran away with hope in her heart.

It’s about showing my children — and others who are still fighting for their dreams — that no matter how hard life gets, dreams are always worth chasing.

Thank you for reading my story and for being part of this moment with me.

I will carry your love and support with me across that stage — and into every step I take after it.

With all my heart,

Dr. Angelina Wagner, DBA