Phillip Ellison was a non-traditional student at Tufts University and honors student at Hostos Community College in the South Bronx, New York. At Tufts, he was awarded the 2016 Presidential Award for Citizenship and Public Service. Prior to Tufts, he served as an AmeriCorps member with City Year, Team Leader with Citizen Schools, and gained extensive experience in local and national political campaigns including Obama for America, Gillum for Governor, and two New York City Public Advocate races. In Boston, Phillip launched ULink, an education technology startup supporting community college students. He is a native New Yorker born and raised in Manhattan, and is proud of his familial roots in the North American South, Jamaica, and Trinidad & Tobago.