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When Connor Thomas crossed the stage at Ģ����Ƶ University in 2022, diploma in hand and his sights set on the future, he never imagined that just three years later, he’d return to Athens—not as a student, but as a professional, serving full time at the alma mater that shaped him and still holds his heart.

This spring, Thomas returned to OHIO as the assistant director of graduate career management in the College of Business. In this role, he is guiding graduate students as they prepare to enter the professional world, just like he did not long ago. But for Thomas, this homecoming is more than a new job, it’s a return to purpose.

“[OHIO] is special because it grants so many opportunities to the kids and the people in my community who have nothing,” he said. “They don’t have that access without the opportunity.”

Initially, Thomas came to Ģ����Ƶ University with plans to become a lawyer. He majored in political science, shadowed attorneys, and explored the legal field. But somewhere along the way, his interests began to shift.

“I loved my political science program,” he said. “But when I started the Strategic Leadership Certificate, I realized what felt truly useful for my interests—what would matter to me in a real-world career.”

That certificate, offered through the Walter Center for Strategic Leadership, planted the seed. It gave him a framework for understanding leadership, organizational culture, and how to influence and empower others. And it set him on a new path.

After earning his undergraduate degree in 2022, Thomas decided he wasn’t done with OHIO just yet. He enrolled in the online Master of Science in Management (MSM) program through the Walter Center while beginning his professional career in Cleveland at a revenue cycle technology company.

That decision turned out to be pivotal.

“I’d learn something in a night class and apply it the next morning,” he said. “The MSM wasn’t just theory—it was action. It made me better at my job, and it helped me figure out what kind of work actually drives me.”

Midway through his role in Cleveland, Thomas was asked to take over human resources recruiting responsibilities when the company’s recruiter left. His MSM studies made him the perfect fit.

“It was the first time I felt fully in my zone,” he said. “I loved working with people across the company, writing job descriptions, leading interviews—it lit a fire in me.”

Eventually, that role brought him back to campus for a College of Business career fair. Walking through Copeland Hall again, reconnecting with professors and students, something clicked.

“I knew this was where I was supposed to be,” he said. “Helping students chart their career paths—that felt meaningful.”

By summer 2024, Thomas made a bold choice. He left his job in Cleveland and moved back to Athens, with no job lined up, just a strong conviction that he was meant to serve students somehow.

“It was scary,” he admitted. “I felt like I was going backward. But I kept my focus, kept applying, and just trusted that the right door would open.”

In February 2025, it did. Thomas was offered the assistant director position, which allows him to mentor graduate students every day using the same tools and lessons that shaped his own journey.

“My five-year plan isn’t about climbing a ladder,” he said. “It’s about creating impact. Right now, the goal is simple: help students succeed. Give them what OHIO gave me.”

From political science student to MSM graduate, from recruiter to career coach, Thomas’s path was anything but straight. But every step brought him closer to discovering his purpose. And in the end, that purpose led him right back where it started—back home at OHIO.