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Latest “Hall of Fame” inductee Ethan G. Sullivan “walked stage” May 17, heading to Rockford University in Illinois to continue studies in drama
Article by Melinda Eddleman
Hard work, long days or nights and juggling different challenges is a common theme that runs among Del Mar College (DMC) students. And, for the nearly 700 participating “prospective” graduates who “walked the stage” during the College’s 2024 Spring Commencement on May 17, their perseverance paid off with the award of their certificate, associate’s degree or both.
Mark Escamilla_Lisa Sullivan_Joel Sullivan_Ethan Sullivan_Lenora Keas
Overall, the DMC Class of Spring 2024 included 926 “prospective” graduates who earned 1,137 associate’s degrees and certificates combined. Among those who took the spotlight during the ceremony was Ethan Gene Sullivan.
On May 9, he became DMC’s single newest2024 Hall of Fame inductee and joined the 423 honorees named before him. Sullivan completed another goal and graduated Magna Cum Laude with an Associate in Arts degree in Drama on May 17. His father Joel Sullivan, Director of Operations and Programming, and stepmother Lisa Sullivan, Internet Specialist II, who both work in the College’s Information Technology Department, presented to Ethan his degree onstage when the orator called his name.
Sullivan is now headed to Rockford, IL, to continue his studies and dreams at Rockford University.
Originally, the 2022 Calallen High School graduate planned to enter law enforcement, but Sullivan ended up taking theatre as a required art elective his sophom*ore year in high school. His passion was ignited.
“I ended up with the lead role in my first production, and it sparked a fire I had never really felt before, so I decided to change my course in life as I loved the thrill and the people. So at Del Mar College, I continued pursuing theatre,” he said.
But like many DMC students, his journey while attending college to reach graduation hasn’t been easy.
“Growing up, my mother was a victim of the opioid crisis, and so that led to a longer history of drug abuse, making it very difficult for my family,” he shared as part of a video series produced last fall for the DMC Foundation’s Scholarship Dinner. Sullivan was a recipient of the Sue Sellors Finley Drama Endowed Scholarship for the 2023-2024 academic year, which helped provide the financial means for him to complete studies for his associate’s degree.
Sullivan’s parents divorced he said when he was about age 10.
“It took a lot of years to mend that relationship. But as I got older, I kind of figured out what had happened, what it meant,” he said.
April 2024 Production_25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee_Ethan Sullivan as Vice Principal Douglas Panch
He described his mother, Heather, as his “biggest fan,” and she had the opportunity to see him perform his freshman year during Del Mar Drama’s fall 2022 production of William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
“That was the first and only production she got to see me onstage,” he said. His mother passed away in January 2023, and then he lost a good friend later that spring.
“I found myself put into a very difficult situation,” Sullivan noted, finding it hard to stay in school but persevering, tackling his studies and even taking on a new role as President of the Safe Space Club. “There were times when I wanted to surrender, to take a gap semester, to give myself a reprieve from the living hell that I had suddenly entered with a broken life and a broken heart.”
Sullivan credits the support system of faculty who checked on him and kept him going.
“Without their support, I don't think I would have been in the position I am today,” he said, adding: “Through my hard work, I was able to receive the honor of being on the Dean's list despite the difficult journey I had.” Both in 2023 and during the 2024 Recognition Ceremony, Sullivan received an “Outstanding Student” Award for his academic achievement in the Drama Program.
As part of Sullivan’s Hall of Fame nomination, he wrote of first starting his journey at DMC, “For a while, I felt very alone. But that feeling of isolation quickly turned itself into a passion to reinvent myself and to attempt to make sure everyone around me would know my name.”
Sullivan accomplished that by volunteering both on and off campus, , providing sound mix and technical support for both Del Mar Drama productions and at the Church of Grace, volunteering with the Corpus Christi Diversity Council and participating during National Humanitarian Day.
Among his campus achievements he held memberships with three student organizations, including serving as Treasurer of DMC’s Gamma Sigma Chapter of the international college honor society Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), a member of the country’s largest leadership honor society the National Society of Leadership & Success and, as mentioned, President of the Safe Space Club at DMC for which he and officers organized monthly meetings that included information about local resources ranging from the Corpus Christi PRIDE Center to the Wellness Foundation to national level websites in support and to bring awareness to the LGBTQA+ community on campus.
Sullivan also served on the All-Texas Academic Team.
His campus activities specifically included volunteering with Groceries to Go by providing mobile food distribution, attending regional and national PTK conferences, assisting with the College’s “Discover Del Mar” recruitment and informational event, participating during Adopt-A-Beach cleanup events and going beyond his roles with Del Mar Drama productions to volunteer additional assistance to support his fellow actors and classmates.
Preparing for the Zombie Walk_October 2023_Drama Major Ethan Sullivan
Drama major Ethan G. Sullivan prepares for the annual Zombie Walk as part of his Makeup Class working with prosthetics to create a realistic look. The Drama Program’s class holds the annual walk every October to give the Heritage Campus community a good scare. (Credit: Del Mar Drama)
Zombie Walk October 2023_Ethan Sullivan (red jacket) and Crew
Del Mar College Drama students taking the program’s Makeup class participated during the annual Zombie Walk held in October 2023. The gory ghouls learned to use prosthetics and other make up techniques to create their own individual Zombie-esque look to then terrorize unsuspecting community members on the College’s Heritage Campus. (Credit: Del Mar Drama)
Regarding his favorite production while at Del Mar College, Sullivan said that his favorite is Del Mar Drama’s production of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” last month, which he had the most time onstage in the role of Vice Principal Douglas Panch. But, his favorite role was Officer Welch in last fall’s “RUMORS” because “that role was fun with the amount of power I was able to amass to become a memorable experience for our audience even though I had a very short time onstage.”
As for his next journey, Sullivan said, “Going to Rockford University, in all honesty, is a little scary. I have traveled out of state before on multiple occasions, even on my own; but, I have never lived outside of Texas, and I have no family in the area.”
“I am scared and nervous to be on my own with little to no support network,” he added. “But, at the same time, there is an exhilaration and excitement about traveling to a new place with a much more welcoming environment for the art I wish to pursue. There are so many new things for me to experience that I can't wait to move!”
Whether it’s the small or big screen, Broadway or another form of acting or theatre, we’ll be watching for Ethan Gene Sullivan in the future.
(Editor's Note: Shown in the web page banner is Ethan G. Sullivan posing with the oversized DMC letters set up in the Assembly Hall at the American Bank Center on May 17 for the Spring 2024 Commencement participa to use for photo ops.)
View Sullivan's testimonial video shown during the fall 2023 DMC Foundation Scholarship Dinner:
About Del Mar College
Del Mar College empowers students to achieve their dreams. We offer quality programs, individual attention, outstanding instruction through faculty with real-world experience and affordable costs to credit and noncredit students in Corpus Christi and the South Texas Coastal Bend area. Nationally recognized while locally focused, we’re ranked in the top two percent of community colleges in the country granting associate degrees to Hispanic students (Community College Week). Del Mar College focuses on offering our students programs that match current or emerging career opportunities. Whether students are interested in the fine arts, sciences, business, occupational or technical areas, students get the education they need for the future they want at Del Mar College.
