Nona Alumni: Josh Sullivan

In this recurring monthly special, Nonahood News will be featuring those who’ve graduated from Lake Nona High School and will recognize the achievements they’ve made since. Some will have been a part of the first graduating class. Others might have graduated a few years later. Few have stayed in the Lake Nona area, and many have explored the world or are still doing so. Let’s see where life’s journey has taken them so far!

Age: 26

Year Graduated: 2011

Occupation: Program Assistant and Football Coach at Lake Nona High School

Current Location: Orlando, FL

Josh Sullivan found himself calling the Lake Nona area home when his grandmother decided this was the place to be.

“My grandmother wanted to move to a different and a nicer area. She saw that Lake Nona was a great spot, so that is what she decided on. It ended up being me, my grandmother, my grandfather, and my aunt (who became my legal guardian). Me and my family moved to the Lake Nona area in 2004 and have been here ever since then.”

While a student at Lake Nona High, Sullivan was also an athlete, playing basketball and running track, but his main goal was to graduate and his main sport was football, playing as a wide receiver. Another goal of his was to be the best football player he could be, striving to earn a free college education through a scholarship and to be a Division 1 athlete.

“Every goal that I put for myself was achieved, and I felt blessed that I pushed myself to achieve my goals. Without any goals, I would [have] never been motivated to better myself. I would [have] been a high school kid with no ambition and without a dream to fulfill,” Sullivan continued. “After high school, I earned a Division 1 scholarship to attend the University of Southern Illinois as a student athlete. From 2011 to 2015, I played four years of college football but also earned a degree in sports administration, and I am blessed to have earned a bachelor’s that will follow me forever. [I then made] a decision after I graduated in 2016 to come back to Florida and to start my career as a football coach. It was only right to start my career at Lake Nona High School, and I thank them for allowing me to do so.” From being a student athlete who looked to his coach to becoming that coach who has his team looking to him, Sullivan’s story has come full circle.

In his spare time off the sidelines, he focuses on ways to help himself become a better coach and also a better person. “My current goals are just to be better than the year before.” Plain and simple.

Sullivan states that in the next five years, he sees himself growing into his career and eventually becoming a college football coach. “As I look back at my life and then see what I am doing now, I can say that I am very proud of what I have accomplished but also staying humble. I have A LOT of life left and a lot to experience of what I want to do in life. I can’t wait for what the future holds for me, and I’m willing to do anything possible to make that happen. [Being] able to experience college ball was the best thing I can say I [have] ever done. The traveling of seeing different states that I didn’t imagine seeing was an eye-opener to me. Playing on big stages also made [me] really realize that this is what I really love to do, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Graduating college is a huge milestone, so I’m grateful for it.”