By Kialyn Yendell
NSM Undergraduate Advising Center

It’s hard to say which phrase sums up Michael Sullivan best: “Hooyah!” or “Go Coogs!” Commissioned as Ensign Michael Sullivan on December 17, 2010, he graduated from UH that same day as the valedictorian of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics with Summa Cum Laude honors and a 3.985 cumulative GPA.

Sullivan transferred to UH in Fall 2008, and the Granbury, Tex. native found his new surroundings to be a whole new experience that he enjoyed and appreciated.

“I’ve realized coming to UH how enlightening all the diversity can be. There is a huge amount of experience and different outlooks that one just simply can’t get elsewhere,” he said. “I’ve made so many good friends with so many of these different qualities, and it’s been an amazing thing.”

While at UH, Sullivan was active in the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), and believes that participating in the program and entering active duty was one of the best decision’s he’s made.

“Besides the obvious military training, I’ve developed so much on a personal level during my time in the program,” he said.

His ROTC summer training took him to Rhode Island, and then to Hawaii and Japan. The ROTC experience also led him to combine his passions for military and medicine, and he wants to pursue a career as a Navy doctor. His plans for the immediate future center on medical school, though he isn’t sure which one: he’s been accepted to Baylor, UT Southwestern, Case Western, Brown and Uniformed Services University, the military medical school.

Whichever he chooses, Sullivan said he is grateful for the opportunities available at UH.

“I’m really proud to be part of the Coog nation and feel that it has helped me quite a bit along the way. I consider myself very lucky and thankful to be where I am now,” he said.