Meet Connor - Becoming, Boldly

As this series continues, today’s spotlight is about transformation, not the kind that just happens, but the kind shaped through courage, reflection, and intention.

Connor Brokowski, University of Oregon Class of 2025, didn’t start his story with a megaphone or a master plan. In high school, he was kind, curious, thoughtful, but cautious. Social situations felt like tightropes, and comfort came more easily by staying within familiar bounds, often leaning toward virtual reality over real-life unpredictability.

There wasn’t just one shift. But one moment stands out. A conversation with his cousin: “Connor, to ever be comfortable, you have to be uncomfortable." It wasn’t the only turning point, he already set the change in motion. But in that moment, the words landed.

From the first week of college, Connor chose to show up differently. He turned his dorm room into a welcome center, creating connection. He didn’t wait to be included, he became the one who included others. That spirit carried into being a campus tour guide, where he offered not just directions, but warmth and care. Academically, he brought that same heart into his honors thesis where he explored how tourists' motivations are fulfilled through guided tours, blending motivational theory with real-time experience design to understand how meaning emerges. All of it driven by a core question: how do people connect to place, to purpose, and to one another?

What makes Connor special isn’t just that he grew, it’s how he grew. With care. With accountability. With a quiet emotional intelligence that made space for others even as he stepped into his own. He became someone others trust, not just to lead, but to listen.

Now, he’s stepping into a bolder chapter: moving across the globe to pursue a Master’s in Design Innovation and Strategic Design at the University of Sydney. Once again, he’s choosing the unfamiliar. He wants to design not just experiences, but better ways of being in the world, and he’s willing to start with himself.

To those who will meet him in Sydney, work alongside him, or collaborate in the future: Connor is the rare kind of person who transforms not just his path, but the spaces around him. He sees people. He connects dots others miss. He makes systems feel human.

Connor, I’ve watched you grow from someone unsure of their place to someone who builds it, for yourself and for others. And I know this is just the beginning. I’ll be cheering you on, always, from every corner of the world.