Head over heels for policy: Three McCourt School love stories

Skyller Cosme (MPP’24) and Jimmy Doucette (MPP’24)

Skyller Cosme (MPP’24), an analyst supporting FEMA at Partner Forces, and Jimmy Doucette (MPP’24), an economist at the Federal Aviation Administration, met during their first semester at the McCourt School. But it wasn’t until the end of their first year that their friendship turned into something more.

Their story began at a picnic on the National Mall, where a mutual friend, convinced they would hit it off, introduced the two. The plan worked. Doucette cracked a Taylor Swift dad joke, and Cosme, a devoted Swiftie, was instantly charmed.

A week later, Cosme invited Doucette to a Georgetown Public Policy Review (GPPR) event, where he sealed the deal by performing Katy Perry’s “Roar” during karaoke. A week after that, they went on their first official date, where conversation flowed so easily that their brunch turned into an hours-long walk around the National Mall (so captivated by each other that Doucette missed an Econ II group project meeting). 

Since their days at the McCourt School, Cosme and Doucette created a home together in Tenleytown. Their mornings are filled with coffee, policy debates and at least a few of Doucette’s puns. 

They hope to continue building and growing their lives together and, eventually, adopt a couple of dogs. Perhaps a few other significant milestones are in their future, but for now, they’re happy right where they are.

Thessalia Merivaki (Faculty) and Ioannis Ziogas (Faculty)

Thessalia Merivaki , an associate teaching professor at the McCourt School and an associate research professor at the Massive Data Institute (MDI), and Ioannis Ziogas , an assistant teaching professor at the McCourt School and an assistant research professor at MDI, have built a life together rooted in both academia and love — one that began long before their journey led them to Georgetown.

The two met in Thessaloniki, Greece, on Merivaki’s first day of college in 2002. Ziogas, then a sophomore, was volunteering to help new students register for classes when their paths crossed. What started as a simple conversation quickly turned into something more. 

“As we were talking, we realized that we share the same birthday, three years apart,” recalled Merivaki. “He asked me to have coffee, and we discovered we had even more in common.”

From that moment on, the connection was undeniable. “We couldn’t stop texting each other, and a week later, we went on our first date,” she said. That date turned into a love story that has lasted 23 years and led them around the world.

Since their college days, Merivaki and Ziogas traveled across Europe for graduate school and work, and eventually moved to the United States to earn doctoral degrees and embark on their academic careers. After years of working at separate institutions, they found a common academic home at McCourt. Today, the political scientists live in Maryland with their two children and dog, Luke.

As they build their careers at Georgetown, Merivaki and Ziogas hope both their daughters may one day become Hoyas.

“Although I did not find my soulmate at McCourt, I am so lucky to work with Ioannis here,” said Merivaki. “I have met so many couples whose love story started on the Hilltop, and all I hear is how this community brings people together. This is such a great place to be!”

Lydia Sullivan (Staff) and Ellis Obrien (MS-DSPP’23)

Lydia Sullivan , director of internal communications and operations communications at Georgetown University, and Ellis Obrien (MS-DSPP’23), an alum of the McCourt School’s Master of Data Science for Public Policy program and current U.S. Digital Corps fellow , met in 2017 as undergraduates at Bates College. But it wasn’t until years later that their relationship brought them to the Hilltop. 

When Obrien was accepted to the McCourt School, Sullivan was enrolled in a master’s in higher education administration program at Boston College. The couple navigated a long-distance relationship, traveling back and forth between Boston and DC for nearly a year.  

“I loved exploring DC and Georgetown’s Hilltop Campus,” said Sullivan. “I even attended Policy Prom!”

After graduating from Boston College, Sullivan knew precisely where she wanted to be. With “luck,” she found a position at Georgetown. The couple has fully immersed themselves in the university community ever since, riding the GUTS bus, attending campus events and making new friends through Georgetown. 

Obrien proposed to Sullivan on a trip to Vietnam in July 2024, marking the start of their next big adventure. Before their wedding in August, Obrien and Sullivan will make another life change — moving from their shared apartment in Arlington, VA. 

“Jury’s still out on the neighborhood we will choose,” they shared, “but we are focused on our careers and making plans for married life.” A four-legged addition to the family might even be in their future.