When she came to Illinois her freshman year, Ciera Phillips couldn’t imagine being granted even half the opportunities she’s been given as well as earned through her own hard work.

Now the senior, who is minoring in secondary education, is one of 20 other seniors who were named to the 2017 Illinois Homecoming court.

“My growth and development has been extraordinary, and I owe a huge part of it to my involvement on campus,” said Phillips, whose major is history. “Being named to this year’s Homecoming court commemorates all of my experiences, interactions, and, most importantly, my growth. I’ve excelled academically and as a leader. To say my time here has been phenomenal would be an understatement.”

While at Illinois, Phillips has volunteered on the executive boards of numerous organizations. In addition, she has served as vice president of the Minority Association of Future Educators and is a member of the Alpha Nu chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority.

The senior also studied education abroad in Hong Kong and Australia, experiences she said were some of her favorites as a student.

Phillips has a passion for analyzing past historical events because it gives her hope she can change her present and dictate her future. She wants to become a high school history teacher and convey the same philosophy to her students.

“I want to teach them about the greatness they’ve evolved from and how to learn from their past to take control of their futures. I want to instill a mentality of invincibility in order to teach students how to dig deeper inside themselves and showcase their true potential,” she said.

Phillips said she was heartily welcomed to the College of Education the moment she set foot on campus. Her professors were genuinely invested in helping her and her peers become successful, she said, and she built many great friendships within her history cohort. Phillips said she appreciates the passion her student peers have for education, and that she can always come to them for “a good time or a shoulder to lean on.”

“Studying in the College of Education feels like going to your grandmother’s house with all of your favorite cousins, but with ongoing discussions about education philosophy and teaching theory. In short, I love it,” she said.