Philip Clarke keeps finding blessings to count.
In the past three years at The University of Baltimore, he’s received scholarships to help cover his tuition costs, traveled to Morocco and Portugal for course credit, and decided on a career path he knows will serve him well.
The Philip of 10 years ago wouldn’t recognize today’s version, and he’s proud of how far he’s come.
“If you want something in life, you go get it,” he said. “I decided a long time ago that I’m going to get this degree. So, if I have to burn the candles on both ends, that’s what I’m going to do.”
Getting to this moment, a semester away from finishing his B.S. in Accounting, has been a long time coming for Philip.
After graduating from Mount Zion Baptist Christian School in East Baltimore, Philip went to Coppin State University to study criminal justice. Split between passions, he also enlisted in the U.S. Army. In 2013, he deployed to Afghanistan for one year.
When Philip came home, he transitioned to a government job. It was a field he would stay in even after his military contract expired in 2017.
While he appreciated his work, Philip decided he wanted to finish what he started and return to college.
He knew he needed a flexible program. His work demands long, late hours and he has three children to plan around, too. He recalled the University of Baltimore from his childhood and enrolled in its finance program.
During his first semester at UBalt, he met the professor that would change his trajectory. He had been successfully moving through Dr. Jan Williams’ class when she talked to him about a future in accounting.
“I had a fair understanding of what accountants did, but I didn’t realize how wide their reach was,” Philip said, recalling the conversation.
Over time, he realized he enjoyed everything he was learning in his accounting classes—and excelling at it. He eventually decided to change his major.
The conversations with Williams continued even in semesters when she wasn’t Philip’s professor. She shared scholarships, research and job opportunities that Philip might be interested in. She connected him with an alum who earned their certified public accounting license—Philip’s long-term goal.
“Dr. Williams reaching out to me and offering resources, I didn’t ask for that, she just did it, and to me that just shows that the staff here really cares about student development,” he said.
As a fully online student with a lot of balance, Philip appreciates how much time and consideration is given to working professionals like himself.
“Being a full-time father, a full-time employee and a full-time student, sometimes I’m stretched thin, and the professors understand. … I feel like the entire course load is tailored for working adults.”
He said he thought he would miss the one-on-one connections with his professors and classmates if he wasn’t in a physical classroom. Instead, he feels close to his program wherever he is.
“The online option made it a lot more convenient for me because if I had a couple minutes, if I’m on break, I could just log on and do my reading. I would have my iPad with my Canvas on, and I have it on my phone; it was a mobile classroom,” Philip said. “The professors here have made themselves so available that anytime I’ve needed them, all I do is send an email or make a phone call, and they made themselves overly available to me.”
His classmates offer flexibility, too.
“Most of the students in the class are working adults like myself,” he said. “Everybody just being in the same position—look, I understand that we all work, we have responsibilities, we have kids—I feel like everybody that I’ve been in in class with has been more than understanding and more than accommodating.”
Philip has found several professors and University staff, especially that of The Bob Parsons Veterans Center, readily available along his journey.
“Being a veteran, I’ve gotten a lot of help financially from The Bob Parsons Veterans Center. I can’t say thank you enough to the staff down there, too,” he said. “Not only am I being put in an academic situation to advance and propel my career and move it forward, but then the financial burden is a lot less.”
Philip can sum up how UBalt has helped him grow in one word: exposure.
Not only are his professors showing him job pathways and alumni success stories, but also they guided him toward a global field study experience to Morocco and Portugal.
“That was just absolutely life-changing, just being able to understand the principles of business on a lower level, and then learn about it on an international level,” Philip said.
Philip received donor support to ease the cost to participate in the experience that opened his eyes to business management and trade on a global level.
The opportunity was life-changing and could be career-changing, too. The trip was fresh in mind when he spotted a job opening for an international tax manager. The opportunity he hadn’t known existed now sits in mind as a potential future career.
Philip is about 10 years away from retirement from his law enforcement job. This degree is his investment in his next step. He knows he wants to become a CPA but is so far keeping his options in accounting open.
“This economy has shown me that you can’t just have one hustle, you need to be well versed,” he said. “So, while I have the law enforcement background, now I have a business background.”
Because his experience has been so positive, Philip is already thinking about how he can pay forward the support he’s received as a student.
“I’m just grateful for the opportunity that you guys accepted me, and that I had great professors, and my experience has been nothing but phenomenal.”