Alumni Phillip Lillquist went from living in a small town with no traffic light to moving 1,500 miles across the country to live in a city with over 7 million people.

Lillquist grew up in Stewartstown, where his parents still reside today. In high school he was Captain of the cross-country team and was Class Secretary. He was also in Spanish National Honors Society, 

National Honors Society, and played baseball.

On how our school prepared him for the future Lillquist said,“[It provided] a great learning environment with strong teachers. There were good options for extracurricular activities and ways to get involved and lead beyond the classroom, and this is something I continued to do in college and the corporate world.”

After graduating from high school in 2005, he went on to attend Penn State University and graduate in 2009, with a Bachelor’s of Science in Finance. He then moved to Houston, Texas to pursue a career at the Shell Oil Company and further his education at Rice University.

In Houston, he is a Senior Financial Analyst for Shell Oil Company. His job is to support strategic projects for Shell’s United States businesses including oil refining and fuel distribution. 

He also plans to own and operate a franchise called Marco’s Pizza, and he plans to build a new location in the Houston metropolitan area in the next year.

Making a move that big at such a young age would be scary for anyone. Lillquist elaborated on his initial challenges: “Moving 1,500 miles was quite daunting at first knowing I had to essentially start over socially. Getting past the fact that I either have a two-day drive to go home or a three-hour flight was tough when I was used to always being within a three-hour drive from home.”

In addition to his jobs, he enjoys hobbies like hanging out with friends, eating spicy foods, working out, running, and biking in downtown Houston. He is also an officer for the Galveston Alumni Chapter of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, he was volunteering at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer center as an inpatient volunteer. 

Even with all the hobbies and activities an urban area like Houston offers, that doesn’t stop Lillquist from missing his hometown: “[I miss] my parents, the changing seasons and leaves, snow on Christmas, and less traffic in York County.”

For anyone else wishing to make such a drastic move, Lillquist offers the following advice: “Take things one day at a time. Have a plan and build a support system. Figure out where other young people go and try to get plugged into some more established people your age in a new area; I met some well-connected peers who then introduced me to more and more new faces thankfully.”

On advice he could offer to high school students Lillquist said: “Learn to accept the things you cannot change and have the courage to change the things you can. Be patient and persistent as well. Everything happens for a reason, I believe.”