Patricia Sullivan ’76
‘I was a good student growing up, very conscientious, a very hard worker, but I didn’t know that I was my high school valedictorian until I was sitting in an assembly and they announced class rankings. I thought, holy cow.
The principal said, ‘You know, Mount Holyoke would give you a full boat if you decide to go there.’ For a day, I thought about it, but that wasn’t my plan. I wanted Holyoke Community College. I think some people thought I should have chosen a more prestigious school, but in my heart I just felt like it was right for me. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Because I came here, I made connections, and that’s how I got my teaching job.
with her six granddaughters.
I was born and raised in Holyoke. I lived on Bray Park Drive, right near Schermerhorn’s Seafood and not far from HCC. My husband Michael Sullivan ’77, who later became mayor, also went to HCC, as did our son, Stephen ’01.
At first, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to study. I remember sitting in class — it was either a shorthand or business class — and this teacher really impressed me in a way that I appreciated. She related really well with students, and I thought, I think this is what I want to do. I think I want to teach, and maybe I want to teach here. But I’m naturally a shy person, and I also remember wondering if I could I stand in front of a classroom and live outside my comfort zone for the rest of my life.
I got my business degree from HCC and decided to focus on teaching. I went to Salem State for one semester. Then my dad got sick, and my mother was already sick, so I came home from college. My
dad passed away, and I took a year off to help take care of my mom. I ended up finishing my bachelor’s degree at American International College and my master’s at Westfield State.
By then, I was married and raising kids. I saw that HCC was looking for a part-time business teacher. That was perfect. I got my foot in the door. I started in 1981, teaching typing, shorthand, business communications, and business writing.
Later, the college asked several adjuncts to retrain to teach English, but to be an English teacher, you had to have a master’s degree in English. My master’s was in business. So, I had to take English classes with faculty here to qualify. I didn’t mind.
It was a wonderful turn of events for me. I loved it.
Today I teach Developmental English I (085) and II (095) and English 101. My favorite is probably 085 because I’m with my students six hours a week. We bring in food. We become like family.
The first week of classes, we sit in a circle and talk about the best things in our lives, and then we talk about the things we might change, if we could. What they share in a room with 20 strangers is just incredible. I leave that first week of classes, and I cannot believe how vulnerable and raw they are. They say things you can’t imagine, and they’re in a safe space to say them, and it’s pretty remarkable. I am always speechless by the end of class, and I tell them that.
I just turned 70. I could have retired years ago. Sometimes when I’m driving to campus, I think about retiring, but I can’t.
The part of my job I like the least, though, the part that might make me retire, is the grading and isolation. That can get tedious. The best part is standing in the classroom and connecting with students.
HCC has been my second home. Truly. I am so lucky, and I really feel blessed. It’s been a gift. I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready to leave.
I tell my students: I wish for you to find work that you love to do, because then
it’s not work. I know that’s a saying, but it’s true.”
Patricia Sullivan ’76 is an HCC professor of English. She was the recipient of the 2026 Elaine Marieb Chair of Teaching Excellence Award and gave the faculty keynote address at Commencement on May 30.
My HCC Story narratives are adapted from alumni interviews with Connection editor Chris Yurko.
