Tim Sullivan graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2024 with a degree in Political Science and minors in Constitutional Studies and Sociology. Sullivan also was a member of the Center for Citizenship & Constitutional Government’s Tocqueville Fellowship.
Originally from Indianapolis, Indiana, Sullivan always knew that he wanted to go to Notre Dame. “It's in my blood,” he said, “having been a lifelong Catholic who attended Catholic school my whole life.” Sullivan was also motivated by the fact that he grew up cheering for Notre Dame football.
Because Sullivan started at Notre Dame during “the COVID year,” he tried to get involved in as many extracurricular activities as possible. “Being involved really helped me meet people in an otherwise pretty fragmented environment,” Sullivan explained. In particular, Sullivan enjoyed his involvement with the Student Union Board, which allowed him to engage in creative thinking while working with students from all over campus.
Sullivan was also involved in the revamping of Beyond Politics, which is a student-run, peer-reviewed undergraduate journal sponsored by Notre Dame’s Department of Political Science. Notably, Sullivan worked on maintaining and promoting the journal’s website.
Academically, Sullivan was inspired to study Political Science and Constitutional Studies by his long-held interests in history and politics. Sullivan explained that both programs were good fits because they allowed him to explore the intersections between history and politics. He augmented this course of study with a minor in sociology, which appealed to him because it allowed him to approach a study of politics from the theoretical side.
Sullivan was a member of the Tocqueville Fellowship during the second semester of his senior year. Having learned about the Fellowship from a professor, Sullivan was intrigued and applied.
Reflecting on his time in the Fellowship, Sullivan's only regret was that he had not gotten involved earlier. In particular, he enjoyed the first colloquium of the Spring 2024 semester, which was hosted by the CCCG’s Busch Family Visiting Scholar, Dr. Michael Promisel. Sullivan enjoyed this colloquium, which was entitled “The Statesmanship of Hobbits: Aristotle & Tolkien on How to Lead,” because it felt like “a very concentrated and energetic form of the best seminar classes he's ever taken.” Sullivan also appreciated the breakfast visit by Dr. Yoram Hazony, because the fellows had the opportunity to ask Dr. Hazony detailed questions about current events and political trends.
This summer, Sullivan will be working for the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, which manages the energy grid of the mid-continental United States and southern Canada. He will work with the company’s in-house legal counsel.
This fall, Sullivan will begin attending the Robert H. McKinney School of Law at Indiana University, Indianapolis. He is one of the two incoming students to have received the Kennedy Law Scholar award, which is the school's largest and most prestigious scholarship award. Sullivan looks forward to studying law in his hometown of Indianapolis and staying connected with its community of Tocqueville Fellowship alumni.
This article was contributed by CCCG Writing Fellow Luca Fanucchi
Originally published by at constudies.nd.edu on July 09, 2024.