If you know Andrew Flynn ’25 as the guy with an S painted on his chest, shooting water on people at football games, or the guy who helps out with Camp Swift, you may think he is just a loud, all-in-one student leader. But that is half the story.
His Brophy journey started like many others, except for not knowing anyone from St. Francis Xavier across the street. He described himself as “a shy kid who mostly just played sports.” He started Brophy, like many, with nothing and showed up for opportunities on campus such as Red & White. “I just said, ‘Why not?’ and started welcoming people onto campus every morning. That’s where it started.”
Soon, he jumped into Best Buddies, which was driven by his father’s struggle with diabetes and blindness. He eventually became president of the club and went on to serve three years on the student council and co-lead the Swift Youth Foundation’s teen advisory board, logging 1,000 hours in the process. “I just hit it; that was my high school goal.”
What you don’t see is the 5:10 a.m. alarm that goes off, the forty-minute drive from Happy Valley to school, and the guidance of his blind father to work every morning. Leadership is not just in clubs and on campus but at home; it is most notably shown through action.
Flynn said, “I’m basically the DD for my family…My dad can’t drive. My brother can’t drive yet. And my mom—she’s done everything for us. It’s my way of giving back.”
Yet, the path was not always linear. In his freshman year, he tried out for the baseball team but was cut due to injuries.
In his sophomore year, he then trained constantly: “I was all baseball—gym six days a week, throwing every day, no real social life. I gave everything to it,” he says. And still, he didn’t make the team. “I was the last cut. Again. That was one of the lowest points for me. I really thought about transferring.”
During this time, he leaned on Mr. Pete Burr ’07, who guided him through getting cut the second time because Mr. Burr also went through the same struggle. Mr. Burr’s presence reminded him that his worth wasn’t tied to a roster spot. “That moment taught me something. Baseball wasn’t everything. I had other gifts—and I could use them to help people.”
He refocused and went on to help more people, notably through his leading position at the Swift Youth Foundation, where he has logged 450+ hours of service as a counselor, program leader, and mentor to underserved youth.
Because of his service, he earned the Gold Presidential Service Award, using his experiences with his visually impaired father. His dream is to study exercise science and eventually become a doctor. “Not an eye doctor,” he said. “But definitely something in medicine—because I know what it feels like to need help. And I want to be that person for someone else.”
He leads loudly in some spaces, such as the student council, but quietly in others, such as retreats. Through these retreats, he has been able to “actually learn how to listen to God—and to myself.” He especially discerns how he “didn’t need to be who people expected—I just needed to be present; to show love. That’s something I used to be afraid of.”
His days are long, starting before sunrise and ending with hikes at Deem Hills, where he uses them as a space to unwind. He balances a plethora of plates in his social life, such as school, service, Zoom meetings, and family. “Some people think I’m too serious,” he said, “But I’m just going with the flow. I like being the guy people can count on.”
He aspires to be someone his brother can look up to, someone his dad is proud of, and someone “who shows that you can lead by being loving.” Flynn exemplifies that true strength is quiet, patient, and persistent. It gets up at 5:10 a.m. and keeps going.
