Bishop Noll’s valedictorian, Megan Sullivan, will be attending the University of Notre Dame in the fall to continue her education and prepare to pursue a career in the field of medicine. Megan, multi-faceted in her talents and interests, is the perfect candidate for the University of Notre Dame, a college that’s notorious for looking not only a student’s grades but also at their participation and leadership roles.

   Megan Sullivan has managed to not only succeed, but become valedictorian of her senior class despite the fact she was so involved in many different extracurricular activities. Sullivan played 5 sports: soccer, track, cross country, basketball, and swimming. She was a student ambassador, a retreat leader, and NHS President. She also took part in the RICHER Program, biology club, speech team, spell bowl team, and prom committee.

  She sacrificed going to bed early, sleeping in late, and going out with friends so that she could always stay on top of her schoolwork, always get her homework done, and dedicate herself to her extracurriculars.

  “This was definitely a huge challenge for me….My life was constantly rush, rush, rush from one activity to the next, but I would not go back and change anything.  I believe being involved in so many activities and extracurriculars has helped shape me into the person I am today,” Sullivan says.

  She has recently started a job at a Greek restaurant, which has made her schedule busier than ever, but she’s happy to be getting work experience and learning how to manage her time better.

  Sullivan has faced many challenges including suffering from concussions, injuries, and 5 broken bones. However, she took that all in stride and believes that enduring these challenges actually contributed to her success.

  “These injuries ultimately lead me to become involved in more clubs and non sports related activities. Broadening my horizons helped me discover new interests and boosted me to become more well rounded. I feel this is ultimately what has led to my success,” she said.

  Even though she is nervous because she won’t know anyone when she goes to college and isn’t exactly sure what to expect academically, she is willing to work hard and do whatever it takes to succeed. This is partly because of her grandfather who is her role model and inspires her to just keep going and always do her best.

  “My grandpa has always been my number one fan, inspiring me to never stop working hard to accomplish my goals. My grandpa has showed me how to do this through the way he lives his life and gives me the best advice, too.”

  Megan wants to pursue a career in medicine because she’s passionate about learning and helping people, so she’s excited to start this new chapter in her life, but she hasn’t forgotten all the good times she has had at Bishop Noll.

  “My favorite thing about my experience here was the amount of opportunities I had to discover myself and my true interests,” she said.  “It is not common at many other schools to be able to go from cross country to soccer practice to theology class at Calumet College and then have to get up for a RICHER Program meeting. At most other schools, you are forced to choose one sport or club. Bishop Noll not only offered a variety of opportunities, but encouraged me to be involved and helped me become a well rounded person.”