Wise Words of Wisdom from Owl Alums

The fourth annual Make a Life Day welcomed back 14 Owl alums to talk with students about the path life has taken them on. Students heard from a wide variety of professions including a mechanical engineer, retired Rear Admiral in the Navy, recording engineer and musician, a poet/farmer, and a Senior Planner at the City of Bellevue, just to name a few. Fourteen alums shared their stories via zoom and took time to answer questions from students who might be interested in their career path. This is a small sampling of the advice shared.

On finding a job you love: “I approached the job process for the first time in my life with relationality, not transaction. It worked.” “Live with integrity and in alignment with your values, there is no greater gift you can give yourself than that.” - Rae Parks (’08) Program Operations Manager at The Seattle nonprofit Young Women Empowered

On education: “I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I am a huge fan of education now, but I wasn’t in high school. Now I have a bachelors and two masters and the Navy paid for all of it.” – Hugh Wetherald (’79) Retired Rear Admiral in the Navy

On deciding which direction to pursue: If you’re interested in multiple pursuits like illustration, writing, or design, “stay engaged in all your interests. They will likely overlap one day.” - Brett Rawson (’03) Director of Programs for the Seventh Wave magazine

On finding the right workplace: Work and intern at as many places as you can before graduating to discover what kind of office environment you like. “You’re surrounded by a lot of smart people at Overlake, have fun and be present. You have this huge safety net, use it to your advantage.” - Rick Chavez (’15) Director of Sales and Business Development at Roam Free Ranch

On adapting to circumstances outside your control: Rick Chavez graduated college two months after the pandemic which made his job search extra challenging. Ultimately, after imagining he would end up at a tech startup, Chavez took a chance and went to work for a regenerative bison ranch startup in Montana and loves it. “None of it in life is going to go the way you expect it. But it’s going to be a great ride.” - Rick Chavez (’15)

“Our high school lives don’t always go as we envision and plan, perhaps your path will be different than you plotted out, but that doesn’t mean you’ll won’t end up at the same destination.” - Sarah Tompkins (’05) Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Rare Diseases, Patient, & Disability Advocate

On advocacy: “Disability is a community we all join, at one time or another. Everybody’s ability is going to change. When you are advocating for yourself, you are advocating for others.” - Sarah Tompkins (’05)