Thomas arrived at Grinnell without a clear academic plan and sampled courses across departments before settling into history. In 2008, Thomas returned to government work in Iraq, where he spent a year helping attract private investment into the country as part of stabilization and rebuilding efforts. Later, he returned to federal service again, serving from 2017 to 2019 in the General Services Administration’s Federal Acquisition Service. “People get jobs, and people hire people,” Thomas said, urging students to stay connected and help others when possible. Conversations, observations and small interactions he called the “creases in the day.”By the end of the event, Thomas’ message was clear.