Phillip McIntosh's road to success
When Phillip McIntosh became a member of the Boys & Girls Club in Roxbury at age 10, he was looking for more than just after-school activities. He was looking for a positive, male role model, although he probably didn’t know it at the time.
Looking back, he referred to himself as a “Rude Boy,” remarking on how his “misbehavior” got him into a lot of trouble. He was raised by his single mother, and with no father figure in his life, he became involved with the wrong crowd and carried a weapon to protect himself. His mother gave him the ultimatum – either shape up or go back to Jamaica, where he was born. She enrolled him at the Boys & Girls Club to give him one more chance to change the path he was on.
When Phillip walked into the Club’s Computer Clubhouse and met Murray Bass, the Technology Director, he found not only a male role model, but the inspiration for his future career path.
Phillip credits his eight years at the Club with giving him a second chance at life. In an excerpt from his college application essay, he shared how Murray and the Computer Clubhouse changed his life.
“One day, I walked into the club’s Technology Center. I sat down ready to learn a lesson about computers, which was a factor that changed me from walking into a courtroom preparing to be sentenced. After the computer classes, I would ask the Technology Director, Mr. Murray, about the different software programs and the internet and how these things worked. I found an interest in technology. Mr. Murray was the only adult male that appealed to me because of the way he talked to me. He kept it real between us. He talked like a strong, educated man that was serious about life and his profession. I finally found my role model. He was the one. It seemed like he lived my life before, and he was ready to help.”
Today, Phillip, age 24, is a full-time Technology Production Associate for Physical Health Technology in Charlestown. He is also continuing his education part-time at Bunker Hill Community College, where he studies International Business in the evenings.
Murray Bass, still the Technology Director at the Club, has stayed in touch with Phillip over the years. “Almost every time we speak or see each other he acknowledges BGCB and me for helping to guide him, while empowering him to enter the technology field and lead a productive life,” Murray said. “Being involved in the lives of young people like Phillip is one of the reasons I do what I do.”
Phillip is just one of the many alumni whose lives were changed for the better through Club membership. To learn more about our alumni initiative or share an alumni story, contact Meshe Rey, Development and Alumni Relations Associate, at mrey@bgcb.org.