Joshua Phillips

Although he had to work two jobs to pay for school, Joshua Phillips never let anything get in the way of his dream to fly helicopters for the U.S. Army. While living with his single mother, Joshua helped pay the bills at home. After his car was totaled in an accident freshman year, he began taking the bus to school from his Fort Lauderdale home.

In Fall 2014 when his father became ill and underwent surgery, Joshua helped with his recovery while maintaining a full course load and serving as a full-time cadet in the Army ROTC. Each day, Joshua rose at 4:30 a.m. to get to campus in time for physical training at 5:45 a.m.

In addition to his classes as a history major, Joshua took ROTC courses on leadership and military science, as well as mandatory tactical training. He traveled twice to Fort Knox in Kentucky to attend leadership training, writing his term papers during down time.

In spite of his many commitments, Joshua made the dean’s list several times and maintained a GPA of 3.49. He said his greatest inspiration has been his mom, who he said saw strengths in him even when he didn’t. He is most proud of his work to mentor other cadets.

After graduation, Joshua will be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army. He’ll also fulfill his dream of becoming an Army aviator.