Gavin S. Sullivan '13

As a student at Loyola, Deerfield native Gavin S. Sullivan '13 spent four years on the cross country team, was elected class president during his senior year and balanced academics with service as the co-editor-in-chief of The Prep, the Academy’s student newspaper and oldest student organization. We caught up with Sullivan, who now works for a management consulting firm in Chicago, in this month’s alumni spotlight.

A few weeks ago I re-read some reflections I had jotted down during the Kairos retreat I attended as a senior at Loyola. In some ways I can hardly believe that five years have passed since graduating high school, but returning to those journal entries reminded me of how much has happened in the intervening time. I credit Loyola for equipping me with the tools, opportunities and relationships that promoted my personal growth in the years after high school.

For one, Loyola’s liberal arts curriculum strongly influenced my studies in college—the school nurtured my intellectual curiosity. Just as I was able to blend coursework in ancient greek with art history at Loyola, so too did my classes at Harvard run the gamut from classics to statistics to political theory. I ultimately majored in history where my focus turned to business developments in the late 20th century. My senior thesis explored the political and cultural implications of the 1978 deregulation of the U.S. airline industry.

I’ve continued to advance my keen (if not slightly peculiar!) interest in the airline industry outside of the classroom as well. I spent two of my college summers interning at United before joining a management consultancy after graduation. In its first few months, this role has given me a platform to serve transportation and travel clients around the country.

There are too many to count! By no means is this list exhaustive. I credit Mrs. White and Mrs. Whelan, both of the English department, for teaching me how to think critically and write clearly. I’ve drawn on their lessons in every college course as well as my current job. Mr. Mistrik’s math class also has a special place in my memory: he brought the material to life by encouraging us to apply it outside the classroom. Lastly, I feel indebted to all of my classics instructors—Mr. Mathers, Mrs. Wick, Dr. Lowe and Ms. Harrington—who surprised me with a host of modern life lessons drawn from ancient languages.

Returning to Chicago after graduating college has provided many reminders of how Loyola has shaped my last five years. Some of these reminders are quite obvious: from going for runs with former cross country teammates to seeing Fr. McGrath at Old St. Pat’s Church in the West Loop, I can connect my current experiences to traditions first established in high school. Others are more subtle and, through reflection, allow me to recognize how I still carry many of the lessons first learned at Loyola.

One such lesson is rooted in the great Mary Oliver quote frequently repeated around Loyola’s halls: “What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” This question has compelled me to assess how my actions—whether they be directed toward long-term aspirations or my daily, mundane movements—contribute to something greater than myself. I felt lost, if not uninspired, in those periods where I lacked this sort of intentionality. Conversely, I’ve felt my most authentic when I’ve deliberately applied my interests and talents to impactful outlets.

Some of my most meaningful college experiences stemmed from my involvement with Harvard Model Congress, an educational-oriented government simulation program for high school students. Last March, I had the opportunity to serve as president of the program’s Madrid conference. Working alongside a staff of 40 Harvard undergraduates, I shared my love for public policy and teaching with over 500 high school delegates across Europe, many of whom benefitted from our scholarship program. Pulling off that conference proved challenging on many levels, but its rewards lay in the growth I witnessed among the delegates.

I don’t think I can predict what’s next—I feel like I’ve barely started my first job after college! For the time being, I hope to continue to get acclimated to no longer being a full-time student for the first time in my life. In the long term, I would be thrilled to find opportunities to get involved at the intersection of business and government. My undergraduate work largely focused on this intersection (especially my senior thesis on public policy and the airline industry). I’ve been fortunate to find a job so closely tied to this industry; I hope to weave in my policy interests in the coming years.