A 2017-2018 Phillips Alumni Scholar
2017-2018 Alumni Scholar Matthew Zienkiewicz (George Mason University ’21) dedicated over 500 hours to his community through the Smithfield Police Explorers Program, in his hometown of Smithfield, Rhode Island. Matthew told us, “I have always respected men and women in uniform and admired them for their service to our country and community… As a young Explorer I have met many influential police officers who took interest in me and my pursuit of a law enforcement career. Some of them became my mentors and guided me… I have learned how to discipline myself in order to set and accomplish goals, which helped me balance my high school career, part time job, and community service.”
His involvement with the Smithfield Police Explorers Program included working on traffic details during town events, educating young children about bike safety, and living on a military base for a week each summer to experience police academy training. Reflecting on these experiences, Matthew attributes them with “instilling the core values of discipline, stress management, uniformity, and honor.”
This fall Matthew started college at George Mason University in Virginia. Matthew looks forward to continuing his progress towards a career in law enforcement: “While majoring in Criminology, I will also work to receive a concentration study within Homeland Security by completing classes such as Community Policing, Theory and Politics of Terrorism, Constitutional Law, and Surveillance and Privacy in Contemporary Society,” he said.
PHILLIPS ALUMNI SCHOLAR
The Phillips Alumni Scholar Award goes to a new recipient of the scholarship who clearly exemplifies a “sense of other,” strong work ethic, academic strength and commitment to community service that are the hallmarks of the Phillips Scholar. The funds for the Alumni Scholar award(s) come from the generosity of Phillips Scholarship Alumni who donate so that others may have the opportunity to overcome the same financial barriers to education that they found. We are deeply grateful for the support of our alumni.