I am a young professional. I own a home on the westside. I sit on three different boards in the community. I volunteer my time as much as I possibly can, and I have attempted since I moved here to shape our community into a more open environment. I am single. I’d love to have found the right one, but it doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be welcome or sought out because I haven’t. That’s ridiculous. I don’t go out and party all night. I’ll admit I like to meet a friend for a drink, but it doesn’t get out of hand, it’s social. I am an artist. I am a homeowner. I am an engaged citizen with many parts of this community. And yes, I am single. And yes, I feel like perhaps there are other places I should go that I am wanted, but I stay because I believe we can do better.

It is unfortunate that we don’t cater to our entrepreneurial spirit and we don’t attract young professionals because our overall community is seen from the outside, and perhaps it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy, that we are not open and not ready to support the hoards of different kinds of people we have that live within our city. Our city itself is seen as an unstable young professional, only the ones that don’t really know who they are yet.

I speak out every chance I get about how great Colorado Springs is, but I also have to be careful to acknowledge we have a long way to go as a city. I could move to Denver or Boulder or Ft. Collins or NY or LA, or Chicago or a whole slew of places that wants to support young open minds that are willing to work, supports their growth as leaders. But I believe we can be better and should be better, we have more potential here than so many other cities. I skoffed when the Chamber said we went to Oklahoma City to use them as an example. Being from Oklahoma City, I know they made something from nothing in the downtown area. It’s a shame that we have made very little with so much.

I would never disagree that Colorado Springs is a great place for young or old. Economically speaking and culturally speaking though we don’t have the support of the city for the constituents we do have. We lack identity and we lack vision and unity.

I agree with Etienne that as young professionals we need leaders who will encourage us to lead and to “do” something. We want to do something not talk about it and watch nothing happen. We are not empowered as citizens, not just young professionals, to make things happen because we have a very close-minded city that does not want to change. When we want to do something we always get a negative “no” why not turn a no into a not in that way, but try this instead. I realize as “youngsters” we don’t know everything, but guide us to do it in the right way instead of getting in the way and being a roadblock.

All in all I appreciate all those that fight the good fight everyday. But we are too few. We need everyone’s support. Not just as young professionals, but as a whole community. We need to support each other, recognize the differences but in the end we need a common goal.