Lisa Phillip

I met Lisa through a mutual friend, Susan, and they met quite randomly at the Botanical Gardens. Over the last year (more?). I’ve gotten to learn more about Lisa, as Lisa the person, the friend, a journalist, a mom and more. She is the higher education reporter for WBEZ Chicago - a fantastic source of local information, insights and stories. Lisa's professional path is as eclectic as it is impressive. 

When I asked Lisa about what her origin story is, she tells me it was a couple of factors: she was born into an immigrant family, and her older brother and sister were almost like a second set of parents for her. Her sister was very smart, and held up as an example of who to emulate - she followed their father’s career path, down to the same medical speciality.

She distinctly remembers that her parents were people who always treated other people kindly, whether it was her mom’s volunteer work or how her father, a cancer specialist, was with his patients. She also remembers reading being something the whole family enjoyed, with kindness, learning and curiosity being the family values she has carried with her. 

As with many immigrant families, her parents' expectations were that their children would do well professionally and be financially set up for life. She talks about how hard she pushed herself as a child and young adult, hell bent on getting into an Ivy League school, and when that didn’t happen, it upended her whole sense of self. She went on to attend University of Washington, an excellent college and experience for her, but it did leave her wondering who she was. 

Her younger brother developed brain cancer after she completed college, and that along with the inklings she had along the way about wanting something different, more creative, brought the question of what she wanted from her life to the forefront. She knew she wanted a(nother) family of her own and kids. She started valuing the non-academic things; her younger brother’s love for cooking and spending time with those he loved also became part of her life. As someone who always enjoyed listening to and practicing  music, and she joined a music graduate program, and worked at the Baltimore Symphony - she does remember being treated like crap by the administrator there. She was also a history nerd and took music history classes. Her grad program is also where she met her husband. She taught classes at Georgetown at night, and folks would always comment on the weirdness of her academic and professional background. This reminds her that she applied for the NPR audio internship thrice, and being irately told to go and apply to the Arts department.

She left North Carolina to live in Oak Park, a far cry from the very white north suburbs she grew up in. She values diversity and wants her kids to grow up in an environment that is multicultural and inclusive. She does miss her time in North Carolina. When I ask her what refuels her personally, it’s being outdoors and hiking, which she did a lot of in NC.  

When I ask her if there are any lessons she has learned that she would like to share, she wonders what it would have been like if she hadn’t put so much pressure on herself, if she had realized that siblings can be very different people. This reflects in her parenting: as long as her kids are happy and healthy, they can be mediocre at anything else they want to be. 

She reminisces that her little brother was different; he did not care about what others thought, he did what he wanted to and had a sense of humor that served him well when dealing with his diagnosis. 

Another key influence in her life was  her mom who adored reading, writing and who was immensely creative. Lisa bears a strong resemblance to her. Her sister is another influence, who has accomplished incredible things and is a badass scientist. Her brother taught her to take more risks and enjoy food. Her husband Josh has helped her value the stillness (and occasionally be still herself :)). 

Professionally, she loves what she does and wants to be in this job, as being in education reminds her of how little she knows and how okay that is. Being able to share people’s stories, reveal the inequities to affect change is meaningful work for her. 

Looking ahead, she jokes about becoming a master potter but in a different vein aspires to continuing her meaningful work without burning out. It is an absolute delight to know Lisa and have her as a friend.