Alumni Spotlight: Robbie DeVergillo '22, A Life in Aviation

As part of our Alumni Spotlight Series, Gill St. Bernard's recently sat down with Robbie DeVergillo, a GSB Class of 2022 alum and lifer, whose artistic passions have taken him from acting and singing on the GSB stage to flying both in college and in aerobatic competitions. 

How did you land at GSB? When did you start?

I landed at GSB in Pre-K. My parents worked at the school since before I was born, and they knew it was the right place for me to go. I grew up in Bedminster, New Jersey, on a small farm with chickens and hay. This area was always one of the most beautiful parts of New Jersey in my opinion. I had an easy drive up 206 every morning and frequently stopped for a bagel and cream cheese…and I will tell you…the bagels are not good in Indiana (where I go to school). 

Do you have a favorite GSB memory?   

This is a difficult one. Since I am I lifer, the amount of GSB memory’s I hold is too large to all store at once. There are bits and pieces every year that I remember or get reminded of on a day-to-day basis. I’d say my favorite memory was hosting the pep rally in my senior year. It now seems like it was foreshadowing my current career, and we made sure to make it fun.  

What was your favorite class? 

I am going to have to pick two for this one…choir and acting. Under David and Amy Southerland, I had some of the best times at GSB. We always got stuff done, but we did have our fair share of fun in the process. The discipline of getting it right by concert time and making sure that everyone is doing the best we could was always a thrill. Acting under Paul Canada was also just a blast every time. He taught us some of the best methods from famous actors and actresses around the world, and I could not ask for a better instructor in that course. All three of them are still to this day huge parts of my life.  

How did GSB prepare you for college and the working world? 

Writing…I wholeheartedly believe that the English program at GSB overprepares you for college and makes everything a whole lot less stressful when you get your first big assignment. In the working world as well, it has helped tremendously! I write so many emails to people and that helps a lot in the professional world. 

Tell us about what you do now. 

Aside from being a junior at Purdue University studying Aviation Management, I help produce and announce airshows across the United States. Ever since I was in high school, I pretty much made it known that Aviation was going to be my career, and I am very proud of how far I have come.  

I travel to around 20 states a year to bring the American public the very best of our military and civilian pilots. Alongside this, I fly competitively both in college and in aerobatic competitions. Last year, I placed in the Top 10 Nationally for intercollege flight competitions for Purdue University.  

I am also proud to say that I have been able to fly some of the greatest high-performance aircraft in the world including the Extra 230 and T-6 Texan. However, I have a passion for connecting the complicated world of aviation to the public to open opportunities for everyone to get involved in the best community in the world. To this date I have had the opportunity to give over 100 Young Eagle rides to youth and teenagers who want to give aviation a shot. I am a firm believer that everyone has a passion for aviation, it just needs to be found.  

What would your advice to current GSB students be?   

Keep your mind on what YOU want to do. If you have a passion, go for it…no matter what anyone says to try and hold you back. Hard work is what makes it all worth it. Don’t ruin your days because you didn’t do well on a test or essay, bounce back from it and keep moving forward. It will never be the end of the world if you don’t let it be.  

One piece of college advice I have is to start looking at colleges well before you are ready for applications and figure out somewhere you will really love. A last piece of advice is to get involved in something, find a club or sport and join it…even if you have no idea what you are doing. All of these things will help you succeed in what YOU want to do.