Successful Alumni

Our Philosophy majors have gone on to pursue successful careers as university professors, medical doctors, nurses, psychotherapists, business executives, entrepreneurs, elementary and high school teachers and principals, military officers, librarians, social workers, judges, directors of county and federal government offices, and motion picture producers. Here are just three examples of students who have used their philosophical training to pursue personally satisfying and socially valuable careers.

Russ Belli-Estreito, B.A. Philosophy, LMU 2012, is a political consultant. He reports: “It only took one course in logic to make me change my major from political science to philosophy. Even now that I work in politics, I still stand by that decision. Not only do I appreciate philosophy for its own sake, but its emphasis on critical thinking and effective writing has proven extremely useful in my work as a political consultant. Since graduating from LMU, I have worked on campaigns in eight different states, filling both communications and management roles. I also haven’t abandoned my passion for philosophy. I have had the opportunity to cover philosophical topics in the news as a freelance journalist for The American Spectator.”

Brian Wlcek, B.A. Philosophy 2009, is a Captain in the USMC. Serving in the military might seem like the farthest thing from studying Philosophy. Not so: “Upon my graduation from LMU in 2009, I became an infantry officer in the Marine Corps and over the next six years saw myself deployed to the war in Afghanistan twice and also spent 13 months in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as an advisor to the Royal Saudi Navy. My background in philosophical logic, reasoning, rationality and a learned ability to 'think outside the box' all uniquely contributed to my experiences as a consultant to military leaders across cultural and linguistic barriers. My training at LMU in ethics and metaphysics allowed me to have a much more informed understanding of the nature of life and death, morality, human sacrifice and suffering that often played out in front of my eyes in Afghanistan.”

Cecile H. Sam, B.A. Philosophy & English, LMU 2000, is a researcher at the Consortium for Policy Research in Education at the University of Pennsylvania. She tells us: “Studying philosophy at LMU provided me with a strong theoretical basis and the analytical skills necessary to design studies and conduct research in my field. As a qualitative methodologist, my studies in ethics at LMU have played an important role in shaping the ways I approach working with participants and collecting data by fostered a belief that ethics must play an important role in research. In short, my philosophy education at LMU has helped me to become a better scholar and researcher in so many ways. It was a great decision!”

Read more LMU philosophy alumni profiles at Philosophy: The Major for LIFE.