Phillips’ Family Leadership Incentive Impact

The Phillips’ Family Leadership Incentive award goes out each year in April to four deserving undergraduate students. Dr. Richard Phillips is an Adjunct Professor and Executive in Residence in the Department of Forest Biomaterials at North Carolina State University, having retired as Senior Vice President-Technology and Manufacturing from International Paper. We wish our 2024 winners congratulations and they agreed to share the impact of this award on them. This year’s recipients are honored to share how this award impacts each of them.

Caroline Youngblood

My name is Caroline Youngblood and I am a current senior in PSE and so excited to be a recipient of the Phillips Family Scholarship. The application process consisted of a one page essay and a one minute video about what makes me a qualified recipient. I also submitted my resume to be considered in my application. The application requirements were easy to follow and were not overly time consuming. Receiving this scholarship means that I get to participate in a leadership project with Dr. Jameel and complete a minor in business administration. Both of these experiences will further develop me as a leader and allow me to gain valuable skills that will help me in my professional career. 

Receiving this scholarship means so much to me and my family. Attending NC State to major in both Paper Science and Chemical Engineering has been a dream come true, but the cost of attendance can be demanding as an out of state student. However, thanks to the Phillips Family Scholarship, I will be able to finish my degree without taking on any additional financial hardships. In addition to this, I will also develop my leadership skills, which will benefit me for the rest of my life. I am truly grateful to the Phillips Family for providing me with this opportunity. Thanks to this Scholarship I will be able to achieve everything I’ve ever dreamed of and more. 

Grant Goelz

The application process for the Phillips Family Leadership Incentive scholarship was rather simple. The folks in the College of Natural Resources did a great job on informing me about what the scholarship entailed and the requirements for applying. Personally, I went through many iterations of my one-minute introduction video in order to get my favorite one, but, I was satisfied with my final result. After submitting the video, essay, and resume, Dr. Byrd requested I send in a list of volunteering and service activities, which was not too difficult to come up with in about 20 minutes. Overall, the application process went smoothly; and, I was satisfied with the quick feedback I received from all staff members associated.

Winning this award means so much to me. As someone who has worked for about 12 months in the paper industry, the business side of things has always been interesting to me. Earning the Phillips Family Leadership Incentive award will enable me to build my human capital through extra education while not facing financial struggles. Pursuing the business administration minor will also allow me to explore alternative career paths in the future, even possibly allowing me to reach my goal of becoming a VP one day. This award will also allow me to practice my leadership skills in the classroom, the university, and the community as a whole. Overall, this award will be instrumental in progressing my future career endeavors as well as my community engagement.

Nick Burrows

Words can’t sufficiently express my gratitude for being awarded the Phillips Family Scholarship. I feel truly blessed, thankful, and honored to be the recipient of such a prestigious and generous scholarship. Since making the commitment to pursue a dual degree in Paper Science and Chemical Engineering, my experiences at NC State have been nothing short of amazing. Upon being accepted at NC State, my goal was simply to attain a degree in Chemical Engineering, however after receiving the initial scholarship opportunities through the Paper Science program, I decided to pursue a dual degree in Paper Science and Chemical Engineering. Coincidentally, that turned out to be the best decision I ever made! I realize that many people can’t say they love their major, or the career they are pursuing, however nothing could be further from the truth for me. I have thoroughly enjoyed both classroom and internship opportunities provided by NC State and the Paper Science department.

I am confident that by receiving this scholarship and pursuing a minor in Business Administration, it will vastly increase my knowledge. Working as an intern through three different work experiences has allowed me to realize the interconnectedness of Paper science and engineering knowledge with the overall paper industry. Being afforded this opportunity through the Phillips Family Scholarship, to add a minor to my dual degree, will be extremely beneficial to my leadership potential and long-term goals. My long-term goal is to utilize the skills I have learned through my education at NC State to one day become a mill manager. Thank you, Phillips family, Paper Science program, and NC State, for all that you have done to assist me as I pursue my dreams in the paper industry.

Jacob Schoen

I applied for this award to earn the opportunity to gain further knowledge of the business aspect of the world and to help gain a potential advantage in industry. The process to attain this award for me started during my sophomore year. I learned from the professors in PSE and some of the other recipients of this award, that to give myself the best chance, I needed to find a way to show the selection committee I had greater potential in being a leader. I figured that the best way for me to do this was to take a position in TAPPI. This position allowed me to gain a better understanding of how to lead and to figure out how to solve problems on my feet and to reach out to professionals and peers to get the task completed. Having been named a recipient of this award has meant more to me, both as an aspiring engineer, and as an out of state student. This award will assist me in continuing my education and will allow me to afford to attend NC State. I cannot begin to describe my excitement after I learned that I had been named a recipient of this award! To me, it has meant that my efforts both in the classroom and in my community, have been noticed by others. This fuels me to continue to work on myself so that I may continue to help and lead others to the best of my ability.