When I was asked to interview an alum of the El Pomar Fellowship for the Alumni Relations team, I quickly realized there was no shortage of remarkable people to choose from. In fact, the hardest part wasn’t finding someone — it was choosing just one. After spending time in the alumni database and scrolling through LinkedIn, my list of people I hoped to connect with stretched over two pages. As I started reaching out, I wasn’t expecting many people to say yes.
That’s where I was wrong.
Within days, alumni had agreed to meet for coffee, hop on a phone call, and generously share their time. I expected to learn about their careers. Instead, each conversation reshaped the way I thought about my own.
Over the next few weeks, I spoke with four alumni whose careers could not have looked more different: Zach McComsey, Samuel Hinkle, Jess Thorne, and Trevor Findley. Together, their careers span education, conservation, philanthropy, public policy, and law. Some had founded organizations; others spent their careers strengthening existing ones. Despite those differences, every conversation eventually circled back to the same question: What kind of impact do you want your life to have?
Each conversation left me with pages of notes — most of them answering questions I hadn’t thought to ask. As different as their careers were, a common message emerged: meaningful opportunities often came from curiosity, openness, and a willingness to let interests change over time.
A few pieces of advice stayed with me.
Zach encouraged me to “triple down” on whatever I was passionate about because meaningful work requires a compelling reason to persevere.
Samuel challenged me to pursue roles where I can align the tasks I enjoy with the mission I want them to serve, while also embracing opportunities to advance my career through one or the other as valuable learning experiences.
Jess introduced me to the Japanese concept of ikigai—a “reason for being” found at the intersection of what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for.
Trevor reminded me that the most meaningful opportunities often come from paying attention to what genuinely excites you.
By the end of those conversations, I realized I’d been asking myself the wrong question. For years, I had treated career planning as an exercise in figuring everything out as early as possible. The alumni offered a different perspective. Instead of worrying about whether I had my future mapped out, I started asking whether I was paying close enough attention to the opportunities, interests, and relationships already in front of me.
Jess captured that perspective perfectly with one piece of advice that has stayed with me: “The people whose opinions matter most are your 8-year-old self and your 80-year-old self.”
Whenever I catch myself worrying about making the “right” decision, this quote reminds me to focus less on meeting expectations and more on building a life that feels true to who I am.
Those conversations also taught me something that had nothing to do with careers.
Before we talked about work, Jess insisted on buying me a cup of coffee. It seemed like a small gesture at the time. By the end of our conversation, I realized it wasn’t.
That generosity wasn’t unique to Jess. Several conversations stretched well beyond their scheduled time, and others ended with introductions to people they thought I should meet. Every conversation closed with some version of, “Let me know how I can help.” These conversations showed me what it looks like to build relationships rooted in curiosity, generosity, and a genuine desire to help others grow.
El Pomar’s mission is “to enhance, encourage, and promote the current and future well-being of the people of Colorado.” After talking with these alumni, I understood that mission a little differently. The Fellowship wasn’t just something they had completed years ago; it was something they continued to live out in the way they mentored, encouraged, and engaged with others.
Looking back, these conversations gave me much more than a glimpse into four remarkable careers. They showed me what it means to invest in people. I hope that years from now, when someone reaches out with questions of their own, I’ll be just as eager to say yes.
