From May to December of 2019, Phil Brown sent out five resumes a day, Monday through Friday, to colleges and universities all over the country, until he found a job here at Goshen College as Residence Life Coordinator for upperclassmen housing.

Brown fell in love with helping people and learning how people think and relate to one another while he was in college, which has led him to his current career path.

“I grew up on the outskirts of Queens, which is very metropolitan, so Goshen in comparison is very different,” Brown said.

He was the youngest of three children and spent most of his life as an only child in the house. 

“My brother and sister were much older than me…My brother is in his forties and has a son that is about nine months younger than me, so my siblings were more like second parents and my nephew was more like a brother to me growing up,” he said.

Brown then headed off to college in Long Island and started out as an education major. Like many college students, he felt a lot of pressure to know exactly what he wanted to do right out of high school. 

“I had a lot of pressure because my sister and brother went the college route,” Brown said. “They were both very successful, so I felt like I had to know exactly what I wanted to do.”

His first year at college was one that many could relate to. He was a quiet and reserved kid, so he would go to classes and soccer practice and then go back to his dorm. He didn’t socialize much, and this led his resident director to encourage him to apply for student leadership in Residence Life. 

“I enjoyed working in student leadership so much that the next summer I took an internship under the president of Residence Life,” said Brown. “I worked with international students, freshmen and transfer students, and it prepared me for working as a residence assistant the next school year.” 

When Brown found that he really loved learning about people and how they relate to each other, he changed his major to psychology with a minor in social work.  

He graduated from SUNY Old Waterbury in 2019 and knew that he wanted to continue working with students. He was dedicated to finding the perfect fit for him to continue that work. 

Brown had not heard of Goshen College before applying for this position and was very interested to take on this new adventure and challenge in his life. 

“Goshen intrigued me because it was so different from the college I went to and the town that I grew up in,” Brown said. “I am really looking forward to exploring all of the things that Goshen has to offer.” 

Brown noted he is excited about attending First Fridays, as that was not the type of event they had at all in New York, where he grew up.  

In his free time, Brown enjoys playing soccer, a passion of his from a young age, as well as basketball. He is an avid anime fan, enjoys playing video games and loves a good old-fashioned roller skating rink. 

As the new resident life coordinator for upperclassmen living, he anticipates working with the residents and student leaders of Romero Apartments, Coffman Hall, Kulp Hall and the Intentional Living Communities. 

“I’m looking forward to getting to know students as well as helping impact residence life in a positive way,” Brown said. “I want to improve on my interpersonal skills and help make residence life the best that it can be.”