As president of UMass Lowell’s Student Government Association (SGA), Gavin Robillard represents more than 12,000 undergraduate students. The business major works with administrators and faculty on initiatives such as the commuter experience, career-connected learning and student mental health.
“Being that voice for our class is really fulfilling,” says Robillard, a first-generation college student from Leominster who got his first taste of student government while in middle school.
“I really liked being able to represent my class,” he says. “I took that drive and ran for student government in college.”
After joining SGA as a senator at large during his sophomore year, Robillard served as secretary and academic affairs chair. He led a campus-wide student survey and presented the findings to faculty to advocate for improvements in advising, classroom resources and career development. He also worked to help make parking more affordable for students.
The summer before his senior year, Robillard attended the Campus Vote Project Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C., a weeklong gathering of student leaders from across the country focused on civic engagement and campus impact. The summit included a visit to the White House.
“One of the most surreal moments was stepping inside the White House and standing at the podium where so many pivotal moments in our country’s history have taken place,” he says.
As a first-generation college student with a business concentration in finance, Robillard says paying for school is “something I really wanted to do by myself.” He has earned $10,000 in scholarships from the accounting firm LGA through the Massachusetts Society of CPAs, and he has also received additional support from the Massachusetts High Demand Scholarship Program.
Robillard also works part-time as a loan officer assistant at Fairway Independent Mortgage in South Boston, where he started as a branch intern during his junior year. Through those roles, he has developed an interest in commercial real estate lending, influenced in part by conversations with a cousin who works in the field.
“My cousin talked to me about it and I was like, ‘Wait, travel, numbers, finance — this is perfect for me,’” he says.
Robillard is getting a jump-start on his Master of Science in Finance through the Bachelor’s-to-Master’s Program. He credits Manning School of Business faculty with helping him connect academic theory to professional application.
“When you meet with these professors in person on this campus, you’re talking to someone with real experience,” he says.
As SGA president, Robillard had a chance to address the Class of 2029 when he spoke at the university’s Convocation ceremony.
“UMass Lowell offers not only academic challenges but meaningful opportunities for leadership, connection and growth,” he says.
“Take advantage of every resource UMass Lowell has to offer.”