Bryan Funk ‘11 Speaks to PSU Honors Students

Reed Silvers
For ‘The Clock’
ers1074@plymouth.edu

On the evening of Wednesday, March 4, almost 40 members of Plymouth State University’s honors program tuned in on Zoom to hear the inspiring story of alum Bryan Funk. The event was called, “What I’ve Learned Designing a Purpose-Centered Career,” and Funk delivered on exactly that. 

Service has always been at the forefront of Funk’s mind, beginning with his time at Plymouth State. During his tenure at the university, he served the school community as an admissions representative, orientation leader, student body president, and founder and president of the Ending Genocide Around the World student organization (EGAW). Students in EGAW worked with the nonprofit Invisible Children, an organization working to end a child soldier conflict in central Africa at the hands of Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). When Funk graduated in the spring of 2011, his social justice activism had only just begun.

Like many graduates, Funk wasn’t sure what to do after completing four busy years of college. This is where his first life lesson came in: follow your instincts. Funk knew he had an insatiable passion for justice that immediately entering the traditional workforce could not fulfill. So, his instincts led him to continue his work as an intern with Invisible Children after graduation. 

Little did he know how big a movement their organization would spring. Instead of a quick six-month internship before a “real job,” Funk became part of a team that created the viral campaign KONY 2012. The organization raised $32 million in revenue in one year, released a film that received 100 million views in five days, and eventually influenced the passing of two bills through congress to help support the region impacted by the LRA. All of which is to say, your life is greater than your biggest dream for it. As Funk explains, “when you follow your passion, and you follow the things that bring you to life, something greater unfolds.” 

When his time with Invisible Children came to an end, Funk navigated his way through various other nonprofit work. Today, Funk lives in Portland, ME and is the Marketing Manager at Virtuous, a software company that provides a suite of fundraising solutions to help nonprofits grow generosity. This position didn’t come before a whole lot of uncertainty. In fact, it was not long into his first job that Funk had to spend a week in the hospital for a pulmonary embolism. Despite a long road to recovery, and the trauma after such a near-death experience, he continued to pursue his passion of a service-oriented lifestyle. The nonprofit sector was, and still is, Funk’s passion, and no amount of uncertainty will ever veer him off that path. “I’ve had this experience of a career of really trusting my instincts, following my purpose, following the thing that makes me feel most alive. I feel like I’m making an incredible difference in the world,” Funk stressed.

If there has been one theme throughout Funk’s life, it has been sticking true to a sense of passion and purpose. Fittingly, the final lesson he left the students with was: pursue your purpose and abundance will follow. A pursuit of purpose will look different for everyone, but let Funk’s story be an example of why to trust instincts and stay courageous in the face of unpredictability. 

To conclude the event, Funk took questions and even stayed on for almost 45 more minutes to have an in-depth discussion with three interested students. 

Funk shared much more about his life story and more valuable life lessons in his presentation. Those looking for inspiration, career advice, or just a fascinating story should be on the lookout for his full recorded lecture to be posted here soon.