Hunter Phillips

Neuroscience with Departmental Honors
Undergraduate
2012 Fellows
Hometown: Bend, OR
Travel Locations: Peru, Brazil, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, China, India, Nepal
Phillips hopes to see the great diversity of flora and fauna in some of the world’s richest ecosystems. His goal is to bear witness to the ways in which local ecosystems sustain human communities and, in turn, how recent human activities are shaping those ecosystems.
Alumni Reflections
How did the Bonderman impact your life?
“The Bonderman Fellowship gave me a new perspective on my life and an appreciation for the world’s many varied cultures, traditions, peoples, and lands. I developed a love of travel and of meeting new people. It made me realize how small we are and how much we all have to learn. Finally, it made me comfortable being alone and in my own skin and mind for long periods of time. There is probably no single experience in my life that has had a greater impact on me.”
What are you doing now?
“I am currently working as an Ophthalmologist in the US Air Force. The Bonderman solidified my desire to pursue a career in medicine and ophthalmology specifically with its great potential for making impacts in global medicine. Traveling the world made me realize how fortunate I was to be born in the US, and inspired me to join the armed services.”