By Shawna Bannerman
Photo by Shawna Bannerman
Troy Sullivan began volunteering at NAIT Alumni events in 2015.
“I had this really incredible feeling that I’ve never had before. It was the most fulfilling feeling I’d ever had. It was more fulfilling than getting the biggest pay checks or sales I’d ever made. It was just giving. Helping others. It felt so damn good that I wanted more of it,” said Sullivan.
Sullivan graduated from the Computer Systems Technology program in 2003. After graduating, he was hired by Honeywell-Matrikon as a Sales Technician and began traveling the globe as an international salesman for industrial automation solutions.
“I didn’t have to worry about money, I just bought whatever I wanted. I had everything. I had every toy you could imagine,” Sullivan said.
He soon realized that the fulfillment he was looking for couldn’t be bought.
“It was never enough, it was never fulfilling. I always needed more or something else, something new,” said Sullivan. “I didn’t realize at that time that the happiness and fulfillment comes from personal relationships.”
Sullivan returned to Canada in 2015 after spending almost eight years overseas. Displaced, and without a home or a career, he received an e-mail from NAIT Alumni to volunteer at a Life After NAIT event.
“I met a bunch of people and I helped a lot of students,” said Sullivan. “Helped them in their careers, gave them advice, helped prop them up and fuelled that confidence in themselves.”
Since his first Life After NAIT event, Sullivan has been a regular facilitator, mentor and panel speaker at alumni events. He plans to continue volunteering his time as often as possible.
“I realized over the years I’d been a selfish son-of-a-bitch,” said Sullivan. “I was missing out on all the opportunities [when] I could have had that feeling before.”
