Phi Kappa Phi is proud to feature 2024 Pioneer Award recipient Josh Phillips. Phillips is a student at Mississippi State University, where he is an active member of the Shackouls Honors College.

Phillips is pursuing the Cursus Honorum Honors Degree path, which includes enrollment in honors courses every semester and culminates in an Honors Thesis with formal defense. He is currently researching the effectiveness of U.S. Foreign Military Financing (FMF) as a method of international peacekeeping. His thesis preparation includes two Honors Directed Individual Study courses: one on the economics of federal funding, and another on the types of assistance provided through FMF.

While at Mississippi State, Phillips has participated in multiple research projects, including studies on the changing nature of the National Guard and ongoing work on U.S. nuclear DE proliferation policy. His off-campus research includes studies on the Syrian proxy war, platform work as a sustainable livelihood for refugees, institutional reforms in humanitarian and development assistance systems, and more. His publications have appeared in Oxford Middle East Review and Small Wars Journal, among others.

An engaged campus leader, Phillips has served in roles ranging from president of the Arab American Cultural Association and Lambda Sigma Honor Society to international liaison for the Mississippi State Student Association. He is also a Presidential Endowed Scholar and has earned numerous accolades, including the U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship for Arabic and recognition as a Truman Scholarship Finalist.

Phillips draws inspiration from his family’s lifelong commitment to nonprofit work and his personal journey of overcoming social challenges related to autism. With his parents’ guidance, he gradually developed the confidence and communication skills needed to engage with others, allowing his passion for service to emerge. Combined with his international background and interest in a globalized world, this passion led him to prepare for a career in foreign service focused on the Middle East and North Africa region, where he can continue connecting with and serving communities around the world.

Phillips said, “This past academic year, I have spent exactly zero time on campus at Mississippi State. In the Fall, I studied abroad at the International University of Rabat in Morocco, and in the Spring, I worked as an Intern for the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. In this way, I see this non-conventional path of furthering my education as epitomizing "leaning forward" as I seek to best prepare myself for a career in public service in the Middle East and North Africa.”  He has worked tirelessly to develop his research, engagement and leadership skills. Phi Kappa Phi is proud to recognize his efforts and is confident that his scholarly future is bright.

Phi Kappa Phi is currently accepting applications for its Pioneer Awards. Fifty $1,000 awards are distributed annually. Will you be one of the next Phi Kappa Phi Pioneers? The deadline to apply for one of the 50 awards is June 1, 2025.

For more information about the Pioneer program, including eligibility and selection criteria, visit www.phikappaphi.org/pioneer or contact Kelli Partin at kpartin@phikappaphi.org.