About Philip

From a young age, my heart has always been in public service. Although I originally wanted to be a police officer, that path never fully materialized. After graduating from the University of Delaware in 2010, I got a "temporary" job working in private sector security for Tiffany & Co. while I applied for police positions. After years of failed attempts, I gave up on my childhood ambition. And 8 years into my temporary job, I was feeling stuck.

Not knowing what to do next, I looked to my wife, sister, and friends for inspiration. Many of them had gone back to school to better themselves and advance, or even change, their career paths. I wanted to be doing something more, so in the spring of 2019 I applied to the Master in Public Administration program at Rutgers - Newark.

Once accepted, I remembered sitting in my first class in the fall and immediately questioning my decision. I was 9 years removed from the academic world, and the amount of reading and the length of the assignments were unlike anything I had seen in the past. I thought I was going to fail. But this was graduate school, it was meant to be challenging. So over the course of four years, and one pandemic, I pushed myself to complete the program on a part-time basis.

A lot of life has happened during that time. And while I am happy to be finished, I cannot help but look back sentimentally at everything that I have achieved. I never imagined going back to school, let alone excelling in an advanced program. But excelling here means I have found a greater passion. After graduating, I hope to play a larger role in serving my community and my country.