Bradley graduated from Gillespie High School (GHS) in 2007, earning the Bank of America scholarship. He used the $500 Partnership award toward freshman tuition at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC).

Bradley graduated from SIUC in 2011 summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in political science with a 4.0 GPA.

He immediately entered the SIUC school of law, graduating magna cum laude in 2014 with a Juris Doctorate (JD) degree.

Since October 2014 Bradley has worked at Drummond Law LLC in Litchfield. “I currently handle Social Security Disability, Worker’s Compensation, criminal law, and other types of law, including writing wills and deeds,” he says. He also handles marketing for the firm.

In his spare time Bradley enjoys traveling and hiking. “My most recent trip to Colorado included hiking the Rockies in Estes Park,” he says. “I also enjoy spending time with family and friends, and spoiling my dog Scout.”

Reflecting on the role of post-secondary education in his life, Bradley says, “It played a very important role in my life by allowing me to practice law, a profession I envisioned myself working in from a young age. It also gave me the opportunity to learn and develop, not only the intelligence and skills needed to receive my degrees, but college and law school also helped me learn and develop as a person.”

As to his Partnership scholarship, he says: “It helped make sure that the rising cost of college did not prevent me from obtaining my education.” In addition, Bradley notes, “Now that I am paying on my student loans, I greatly appreciate that the scholarship helped reduce those loans!”

Bradley is the son of the late Tom Bauer and Evelyn and Dan Bilyeu of Gillespie.