Sam Kurtz

Sam Kurtz, a junior majoring in journalism at the University of Colorado Boulder, is dedicated to spreading positivity on campus. He approaches his college years with ambition, leading other students and crafting an exciting future for himself. For Sam, the goal isn’t just to complete a list of achievements but to chase experiences.  

Read more of Sam's story:

What is your favorite memory from your time at CU Boulder, so far? 

I think my favorite memory would have to be one of the football games. I think the Rocky Mountain Showdown—that game was super exciting and probably my favorite memory. I was super tired; it went until like 1:30 a.m. but the feeling in the environment—there were celebrities there, FOX was there, ESPN was there, Good Morning America, all those TV stations—I knew that I was very lucky to be in that space and in that moment, so I think that was my favorite memory so far. 

Every football game is probably up there as my favorite memory so far at CU Boulder just because the atmosphere, the people and being with all your fellow Buffs is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before.  

What is something you would like to accomplish before your graduation? 

I don’t think it’s necessarily a feat or a goal, but the biggest thing for me is being able to take advantage of all the different resources we have here on campus. I know it’s such a large campus, and I want to be able to absorb as much as I can while I’m here. Whether that’s connecting with new people, joining new clubs or just trying to be as adventurous and even as spontaneous as I can—that’s something I look forward to over these coming years because I know that this campus has so much to offer, and I want to be able to use everything. 

I’m a huge pickleball guy. I know that’s all the rage right now, so I’d love to be able—if time allows—to be on a pickleball intramural team just because it’s super fun, super easy and it’d be something that would keep my mind off schoolwork, resident advisor work and all that other stuff. [I want to do] something easy and fun just to be able to enjoy Boulder while also enjoying myself at the same time. 

What life lesson have your experiences here taught you that will be valuable beyond CU?

The biggest thing I’ve learned is that everything is within my control. I feel like over the past couple of years, I’ve been able to take hold of my own future and realize that I have the power to accomplish any of the goals and dreams that I want. That isn’t something I fully realized coming into Boulder but is something that I realize now—that I have so much power to have the future and the career that I want. 

The moment I first got to campus was the moment I realized, 'Wow, this is mine now. This is in my control; this is what I want to do. This is my future that’s at stake right now.' It wasn’t any person or event specifically but just being able to come on to campus and realize that my future was in my hands at this point and realize that I was very lucky to have the perfect environment and the perfect school to make that future my own. 

What one word describes your role or a quality you bring to our campus community? 

The biggest thing that I bring to this campus is “positivity.” There are so many times, especially in this era of my life, where I feel like I’m having a mid-life crisis, or I feel there are a lot of different things I’m juggling all at once. Being able to have that positive mindset and have [my positivity] impact other people as well in being a student leader, student employee and upperclassman. Being able to spread that light onto other people is something that I really look forward to each and every day because I know that it can influence people in a positive way. Having positivity is something I take a lot of pride in, and I love to be able to spread that to each individual I come across.  

Do you feel like this word encompasses all your contributions, or is there more to share?

I definitely don’t feel like “positivity” encompasses everything I have to offer to this campus, but I do feel like I have the interpersonal skills to be able to connect with different individuals. I’m a super extroverted person so being able to communicate with other people and bond with other people on this campus is a huge gift. I also feel like it’s something inside of me that I have to offer to other people, and overall, it’s the positivity that I’m able to spread onto other people that I feel most grateful for about myself.