Candidate for
Governing Board Member; Rowland Unified School District

At The moment I held my daughter in my arms and I looked into her eyes for the very first time, a tremendous feeling of wonder and amazement ran through me. Every emotion that I could experience was working its' way through my body at the speed of light. Will I be a great father? Will I be able to provide her with all the comfort, safety and necessities that all children should be given? These were but two of a trillion questions that I can recall swirling through my head. I would eventually live through this experience three more times and each time the experience was even more wonderful and more powerful.

My wife Zoila and four children, Katarina 9yrs, Christian 7yrs, Jake 5yrs, and Guinevere 2yrs are my most precious treasures and it is with them in mind that I have decided to run for Rowland Unified School District Governing Board Member. My children and your children must have the true genuine leadership that we as parents expect, deserve and desire from our local school boards. I will serve our children, parents and fellow community members with the utmost respect for the concerns and issues that we have regarding the education of our children.

I was born on August 4th, 1968, in Los Angeles California to Harry and Mona Estrada. At the time, my father had recently been drafted into the United States Army leaving my mother to be left alone during the majority of her pregnancy. Fortunately, my mother was surrounded with a large family to help her relieve the stress that she felt as my father was far away completing his basic training in the U.S. Army.

As my mother adjusted to her delicate condition and life alone without my father, the task of picking a name for her soon to be born son became a tiresome task. Unfortunately, a few months before I was born, my Uncle, who had been drafted into the U.S. Army in late 1967, was killed in action in the Republic of Vietnam. My mother knew that there was only one thing to do in order to carry on the memory of my uncle and that was to name me after him. It is with extreme pride and honor that I hold up my head high and carry his name Phillip Randolph Estrada.

My family carried on diligently after the tragic death of my Uncle and in 1970 my father was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army and returned home to start his life with my mother and his new born son. My father's first task was to find a home for his family and get a job. In late 1970 my parents moved to the city of El Monte in California, where we would live for the next 17yrs. El Monte was made up of predominately blue collar working class families and it was the kind of town where everybody knew everybody and we all looked out for each other.

My educational career started at Park View Elementary School but soon after I transferred to Payne Elementary School where I completed 6th grade and in 1980 I promoted to Kranz Intermediate School. My two years at Kranz were very special as I blossomed into a dedicated student and thrived at excelling in all my subjects. During my second year at Kranz, the dedication and hard work paid off. I was selected with a handful of other students from our school district to travel to our state capital of Sacramento to get a first hand glimpse of how our state government operated. It was a fantastic experience that I cherish to this very day.

Although it was only a brief two day trip, I was able to meet our local elected representatives and visit the capital as well as other sites around the Sacramento area. I believe that it was during this remarkable event in my life, though I might not have known it at the time, that I started to consider a career as a public servant. Watching our legislators creating laws and deliberating was a feeling of pure exhilaration and amazement.

Upon my return home from the Sacramento trip, I can distinctly remember a feeling of enormous positive energy and a desire to complete my junior high school years with the best possible grades that I could achieve. I succeeded at receiving Honor Roll grades and I promoted to high school in 1982.

I enrolled at El Monte High School in 1982 with the same discipline and dedication that I practiced while I attended Kranz. These drives and characteristics were definitely instilled into me by my Father and Mother. During my early school years, my father was "room dad" and often chaperoned our class field trips which always made me feel very special and proud because he was the only father to volunteer. Unfortunately, my mother worked days which made it impossible for her to attend our class trips or class parties. My father worked the "graveyard shift", and although he would be extremely tired after his work shift ended, he would never miss my school functions.

My mother did her part by making sure that I studied hard and completed all my homework and of course made sure that I always dressed properly and ate well. She would stay up late with me to practice my vocabulary as well as assist me when with special school projects. She taught me to stay focused and always made sure that I did not cut corners. My mother taught me to be respectable to my teachers and to always thank them for their hard work. I was very lucky and blessed to be able to have both of my parents involved in my school activities during these crucial early years.

During my four years at El Monte High School I enjoyed studying History and I even considered a career as a history professor. I also thrived in writing and I considered majoring in journalism when I attended college. I played Freshman Basketball and played Junior Varsity Football during my Sophomore year. Probably the most important event in my life occurred during my Junior year when I met my future wife, Zoila. I graduated in 1986 and decided that I would go to work and earn some money and take some time to decide what I wanted to do with my life.

During my first year out of high school I went to work installing wood, carpet, linoleum, and tile floors. This was a work experience that definitely shaped my hard work ethic. Ripping out floors and back breaking hard labor was an experience that I will never forget. Blisters on my hands and knees was neither the life nor the career that I had in mind but it did teach me the value of money and a new respect for the construction trade. After a few months of working long hours, I finally saved enough money to purchase my first car, a red 1965 Fastback Ford Mustang. There is nothing like sitting in your very own car and enjoying fruits of your labor.

The lessons and values I learned that first year out of high school helped me decide that it was time to go back to school. I enrolled at Mt. San Antonio in the fall of 1987 and decided to major in journalism. I joined the college news paper, The Mountaineer, and wrote various articles and covered some of the college sports teams, like the swimming and softball teams. Unfortunately my college years had to come to an abrupt end. Due to my father being laid off after 20yrs in the aerospace field and my mother's frail health, I was forced to go back to the floor installation trade.

During this time I also worked at a Mobile Gas station as a cashier and later at a local Pic-N-Save store as the warehouse manager. I also worked part time installing alarms on motorcycles. But these were not the long term and satisfying careers that I had in mind to fulfill my life. My public servant desires had long been in hibernation and it was at this time in my life that they reappeared.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department called and I was ready and able to take the plunge into a law enforcement career. In November of 1994, I entered the Sheriff's Academy located in Whittier California knowing that I was the sole bread winner of my family. The tremendous amount of pressure and responsibility that was on my shoulders was terrifying and intimidating but because my parents believed in me and the lessons that they taught me as a young boy, I was able to successfully complete the academy and I graduated on March 31st, 1995.

After graduating from the Academy, I was sent to Pitches Detention Center, South Facility in Saugus where I worked for 4 and half years. After my first year at PDC and receiving several commendations, I was promoted to Training Deputy. My responsibilities as a Training Deputy were to teach the new incoming deputies officer safety tactics and to assist with the critical transition from the academy into the jail environment. I decided to make my time positive and productive by helping some of the younger inmates cope to their newly incarcerated life. I helped them enroll in continuation classes (art and parenting) to get their GED and also took the time to talk to them and listen to their problems. I assisted them to get a job in order to keep them out of trouble within the jail and to earn some money for when they were eventually released from jail.

In 1996 I married Zoila and after saving our hard earned money we were able use it as a down payment towards our first home. In 1998 we moved to the beautiful City of West Covina where we reside to this day. In 1999 I was assigned to patrol. I spent my first four months of patrol training at Carson Station and later transferred to my permanent patrol assignment at Century Station where I successfully completed my training. Unfortunately, due to several serious knee injuries sustained in the line of duty, my law enforcement career was cut short and in 2004 I was forced to take an early service connected retirement.

Although leaving the Sheriff's Department was disappointing, it was also a positive turning point in my life. In 2006 I obtained my California Real Estate License and currently work for TNG Real Estate Consultants in the city of Brea. During this time I also became active in our community. In 2007 I was appointed to the West Covina Community Services Commission and also served on the West Covina Sports Council. In early 2009, I was appointed to the West Covina Human Resources Commission.

In addition and more importantly, I joined PTSA and was elected to School Site Council at Oswalt Academy where our children attend. I was also invited to join our RUSD Superintendent Parent Council and I volunteered to be a member of the RUSD Strategic Planning Team. This school year I will proudly serve as Oswalt Academy PTSA Parliamentarian. But the most fulfilling time is when I have the opportunity to volunteer in my children's classroom. It is a rewarding feeling to see firsthand the joy and amazement that children have when they are actively learning throughout the school day and to see the hard work our teachers do in serving our children. As a father I truly treasure these precious moments.

I am very lucky to have a mother and father that taught me to put family first and to give back to our community. They taught me to work hard and to help others. To be honest and to reach for the stars and your dreams will come true. To be the best person you can be with honor and diligence in the endeavors that we choose to take on. The lessons that I was taught by my parents and the lessons and experiences as a husband and father that I have lived through have helped me decide that serving our fellow parents and neighbors is the right path to take.