Phil Wheeler and his Piranhas

Phil Lester Wheeler is a 21-year-old senior at Frostburg State University who is studying Mass Communications with a minor in Public Relations. He has 2 older sisters, Amaris and Keisha, and he went to Lanham Christian School before graduating and coming to FSU. In many aspects of his life, Phil would be considered a normal college student. He likes to watch movies, listen to music (R&B, hip hop, rap), and he likes to go to the gym when he’s not in class. In many other ways, however, Phil is unique and stands out because of his charisma and individuality. Within minutes of interviewing Phil, he told me about his love for his family, Steph Curry, and his three pet Piranhas. Yes you read that correctly… I said pet Piranhas. “I have three Piranhas in a 29 gallon tank at home (PG County). I wanted to bring them to school but it was too much work to try to transport their huge tank. I’ve had about ten Piranhas in total, but only currently have three. My first three Piranhas were named Titan, Aries, and Zeus. After they died, I stopped naming them. A couple of them ate each other because I wasn’t there to feed them”. Understandably enough, Phil’s mother doesn’t love to take care of the Piranhas, so a few died when he went away to college. Since then, Phil reminds his mom to take care of them and he believes they are in good hands. “I try to stay on her about taking care of them, but they might be dead when I get home”. Phil bought his first few Piranhas in 2015, and plans to keep having this unusual pet in the future. Overall, Phil is a laid back guy who doesn’t seem to take life too seriously. Even with the every day stresses of being a college student, Phil keeps a smile on his face and brings a positive energy to those around him.