TYLER MATLOCK (HE/HIM)
Third-generation Coloradan, health-care professional and outdoor athlete
Denver, Colorado
Being a multigenerational Coloradan means that I’m a staple here. My mom and my grandparents walked the same streets that I walk in Park Hill. We had a son two years ago, born in the same hospital I was. As he grows, I want him to experience walking the same streets that have been a part of our family for generations. There has been so much change in Colorado, but just because you change the environment doesn’t mean you have to change the people. In “cleaning up the streets and making things better,” do you have to displace the people? Since I was young, I’ve pondered this. Being in Colorado for generations is being here when it’s not all pretty and nice, but striving to make it better. I want Colorado to be a melting pot of cultures and people, a place where people can experience all types of food, music and culture with one another — a place safe for everyone.
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This article appeared in the July 2024 print edition of the magazine with the headline “#IAMTHEWEST.”
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