“Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” -Howard Thurman

I’m heading to my five year college re in June. I am sure I will run into plenty of “success” stories, those who jumped right into Wallstreet and make more in a year than I’ve made since graduation. There will be plenty of suits and ties, med students, law students and high-rolling executives in the making.

But then I think about a lot of the people I actually know. There is a whole population of us who are confused, or slightly lost, and are trying to make our way in an economy that crashed right around the time we were collecting our diplomas.There are plenty who are struggling to pay the bills without compromising their passions and ideals. And there are others who sit at a desk for years before realizing it’s not for them or they are unhappy.

And me?

Well, right out of college I went off to pursue my most passionate dream. It was one I thought I just needed to get out of my system before I moved on with “real life”. I packed my car and drove out west to be a ski bum.

And thus began the cycle: in the winter I worked at a ski lodge in the town of Alta, and in the summer I tried to “move on”. I went back and took classes in Boston, I taught English in Thailand, I worked as an art teacher and I applied to grad school again and again.

But nothing else felt quite as right as it did when I was skiing. So here I am, in some ways, right where I started 4 1/2 years ago. But these years of ski bumming and trying to figure it out have, believe it or not, given me a lot of direction. And instead of trying to “move on” with life, I’ve become inspired to face my decision to ski full on. If skiing is what I love, then I will do it — with integrity.

And I am learning how to take the ‘bum’ out of my title. Ski towns can get a bad reputation for parties and uselessness. But, I’ve found that there is a lot more going on in the world of skiing than meets the eye. There are countless organizations and non-profits that use the enthusiasm for the sport to bring good to the world and to the local community. There are ways to be creative and contribute through art, design, photography and writing. And, above all, there exists a strong community of athletes and people who are passionate about what they do and who know how to enjoy life.

So I decided to go back to school in the off season again, but this time I had new intentions. Instead of looking at school as a way to move beyond my life as a skier, I look at it as a way to move forward with it. I now choose to accept my passions, the skills I have developed and the connections I have made and take them seriously so that I can do more with the sport and the lifestyle that I love.

And, for the first time since college, I feel like I’ve found myself. I still have a lot of goals, and to accomplish them I know I have a lot of work ahead of me. It might not always be easy to carve out this path, which wasn’t necessarily what I expected. But I also know I what I have to look forward to: snowy peaks, skin tracks, and the ability to look back on my life without regret.

-Kate Hourihan