A Place to Call Home

Phil Fernández ‘94

By Eduardo López-Seda ‘24

Upon transferring from Epiphany Catholic School, Felipe “Phil” Fernández became a part of the 7th-grade class at Belen Jesuit. Phil made it a priority to get involved in extracurricular activities and set out to make lasting memories.

Throughout his years as a Belen student, Fernández made many friends, each with a special place in his heart. He made memories with those same people, driving around in a car he was able to purchase in the 10th grade. At the time, the number of students per grade was much smaller than it is now. This, in turn, allowed Fernández to forge relationships and create a bond with all his classmates.

Those friendships were further strengthened through the sports he participated in - track and field, soccer, cross country in middle school, and football. Despite his commitments as an athlete, he still had time to complete his schoolwork and succeeded in all his classes.

One of his fondest memories from his time at Belen was preparing for his end-of-the-year Chemistry test. Just having completed one of his final exams, Fernández, along with his friends from the football team, went to the home of Mario Díaz. They spent the rest of the morning and afternoon in the pool relaxing. When Mario’s mom returned home from work and found the boys lounging around the pool, she quickly ended the shenanigans and got them back to work. While they had a great time blowing off steam, and although they should have been studying for the next exam, they all still managed to get a good grade.

Upon graduation, Fernández attended FIU, where he studied Managing Information Systems and Marketing. He chose this area of study because he knew computers were the future, so when he graduated college, he’d be able to secure a job. Following the goal he set for himself, after graduating from FIU, he began working in the information technology sector at Pan-American Hospital. He was there from 1998 until 2000. He then moved to Baptist Health, where he worked for 16 years.

Reflecting on his experience, Fernández says the best advice is to remember, “your word is your bond.” What he means by this is that one shouldn’t say, or promise something if the intention isn’t to follow through. “It’s important to be professional at work,” said Fernández. “That’s true no matter what career you pick. Remembering to have timely follow-up and standing by your word is key to success.”

While Fernández was happy at Baptist Health, he felt that a change of pace was necessary. After searching for new opportunities, he returned to his alma mater and has been Belen’s Executive Director of Advancement and Alumni Relations since 2016. This particular job is extremely personal to Fernández, “I was able to stay at Belen after my father was laid off from Eastern when the airline went bankrupt. Knowing that the generosity of others is what gave the school a mechanism to support a family in need is what fuels my passion for this job. For me, it is not just sharing an anecdote, it is my story, and now I have the chance to promote the program that gave me the opportunity of a lifetime.”

In 2003 he married Susana, who is the sister of two Belen alumni, and together they have three children, Javier ‘24, Juliana, and Sebastian ‘28. Having his boys at Belen has also fulfilled a lifelong dream, as he wants them to have the same Catholic-Jesuit education he was blessed to have.

“Working at Belen has been everything I expected and more,” said Fernández. “My work/life balance has been great, and now I have the same schedule as my children and wife, who’s a teacher. Belen has truly become a place to call home!”