Non-stop Sullivan
To say Alex Sullivan (BBA '24) keeps busy would be an understatement. His Google calendar has just a few pixels of room between events. On some days, there's just enough time for him to get from class to an extracurricular event and then to meetings for one of his many internships.
After four jam-packed years at Quinlan, Sullivan is stepping into his future as an analyst at Goldman Sachs with confidence.
No rest for the weary
Sullivan is the classic definition of a workaholic, but he wouldn't want it another way. Keeping busy with extracurriculars is what he calls "the biggest value proposition" of a Loyola education.
Sullivan is a brother in Delta Sigma Pi, the founding member of a local American Marketing Association chapter, and led a team with Inigo Communications in the School of Communications, experiences that would consume tens of hours in a given week. He also spent a semester studying abroad in Madrid, Spain, and backpacking through 30 European countries.
Sullivan gained valuable work experience through various jobs and internships between 2020 and 2024. He spent three years working at Starbucks, honed his marketing skills in a summer internship at AbbVie biopharmaceuticals, and gained business development experience during a semester at AllSpice, a startup launched by Harvard's Innovation Lab. Most recently, he completed an internship at Goldman Sachs and is currently engaged in a year-long internship with the American Marketing Association. In total, Sullivan has gained more than 60 weeks of internship experience during his undergraduate studies.
"I'm an early riser," Sullivan said. "Often, I would be on at 5:15 in the morning. You have to be judicious with your time, tenacious in your efforts, and you have to decide what's a non-negotiable in your life and what you can let go."
Maximizing Quinlan
Sullivan was utilizing every resource available to him from the moment he stepped on campus. As early as he could, he began using Career Services. He enrolled in BSAD 220 and participated in the Q Mentorship program, which left a lasting impact.
"I'm so grateful that was a part of my Quinlan journey," Sullivan said.
Securing each internship, but especially the Goldman Sachs summer analyst position, was a concerted effort.
"It took hours of interviewing, persistence, and preparation from Career Services," Sullivan said.
Once he got the internship, Sullivan felt prepared for the high expectations of Goldman Sachs interns.
"If I had not done those previous internships, if I hadn't commuted four hours every day to AbbVie or been up at 5:30 in the morning messaging my coordinators at Inigo, I wouldn't have the perspective and ability to perform as I needed," Sullivan said.
The next adventure
Sullivan will be staying in Chicago after graduation to begin his role as an analyst in Asset and Wealth Management at Goldman Sachs. Having known his future since August, Sullivan has had time to prepare for the new role. He says what he is looking forward to the most is the chance to develop in the position full-time.
"The biggest adjustment will be dedicating my time to one role," Sullivan said. "I've become very used to tackling 10-to-16-week internships. Full-time employment is an even more exciting learning and growth opportunity."
In reflecting on his journey, he says Quinlan has enabled him to grow how he wanted to.
"It truly is a choose your own adventure," Sullivan said. "This business school puts you steps away from firms and opportunities that could jumpstart your career, you just need to take initiative and make those possibilities real."
Those opportunities have helped Sullivan learn well beyond the classroom.
"It's more than a strong enough foundation to get out there," Sullivan said. "At Quinlan, time flies. Make the most of it by applying the same rigor and curiosity to everything you do. Remember, your journey isn't defined by breakthroughs, but by the paths you take to reach them."
