FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
SUPPORTING STUDENT PASSIONS
TJ O ’ SULLIVAN ’ 98 | Director of College Counseling and Fordham Prep Dramatic Society ( FPDS ) moderator
B elieve it or not , acting wasn ’ t on Director of College Counseling and Fordham Prep Dramatic Society ( FPDS ) moderator TJ O ’ Sullivan ’ 98 ’ s mind until the 8th grade . He played basketball and baseball growing up , as well as hockey in middle school , as co-curricular activities .
“ There was a music teacher at my middle school named Joe DeSanctis who did a review show and it sparked this world I didn ’ t know anything about ,” O ’ Sullivan remembers . “ I had no idea what musical theater was ,” he noted .
When it was clear that organized sports was not in his future , O ’ Sullivan figured he would give this new world of theater a try . “ I auditioned and I didn ’ t leave the room after that ,” he laughed .
However , when he arrived at Fordham Prep , the Dramatic Society was quite selective when it came to casting its plays .
“ I was cut from the play the first time I auditioned but everyone made the musicals ,” he said , thankful that he didn ’ t give up . He made the cast of several FPDS plays thereafter .
O ’ Sullivan went on to perform in musicals at Mount St . Ursula as well throughout his time at the Prep . Some of his fondest high-school memories involve his time on the stage .
O ’ Sullivan loved theater so much that he was eager to major in performing arts . While his parents were supportive , he recalled , they also urged him to consider more conventional majors . With this in mind , he decided to study business at Fordham University before realizing it wasn ’ t for him . He switched to a psychology major while taking on performance , production , and directorial choreography side gigs . “ I was still living at home ,” O ’ Sullivan explained , “ and my parents were concerned that a career in the performing arts was not as steady as others .” Considering this , O ’ Sullivan decided to head back to school and received a master ’ s degree in school counseling at Manhattan College .
He became eager to return to Fordham Prep , periodically checking in on employment opportunities over the years with former teachers such as Dennis Ahern ’ 63 P ’ 01 . He worked at the Prep in a temporary capacity in 2008 . When that ended , he moved on to other schools . Luckily for both him and for Fordham Prep , he returned home to Rose Hill as a school and college counselor in 2010 and has been here ever since .
“ I was in the same class as ( principal ) Dr . Joe Petriello ’ 98 , which is interesting because I now report to him ,” O ’ Sullivan laughed . “ It is interesting coming back to work here alongside teachers who taught me . It was a good time when I was here — I liked it so much I came back ,” he continued .
He combined his passion for theater and psychology working alongside Otis on FPDS productions while focusing on students ’ social-emotional health and helping students with college applications . Otis was a mentor to O ’ Sullivan , teaching him the ins and outs of producing , the importance of organization skills , being of service to students , and defending their passions . O ’ Sullivan praised Otis for helping him channel his passion for defending the betterment of the student experience and opening opportunities for them to shine .
When Otis retired from the Prep , O ’ Sullivan took over directing FPDS productions . His first order of business was to maintain the no-cut policy for students who want to be in the plays . He has built an inclusive program where passionate students can participate regardless of their experience or skill level . Participation in shows skyrocketed with upwards of 75 students , on average , involved in FPDS productions .
O ’ Sullivan also made changes to the production calendar to help seniors who were in the midst of both submitting college applications and performing in the fall FPDS production .
“ We had 80 % of our students applying to college the weekend of November
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FORDHAM PREP RAMVIEW