LARAMIE, Wyo.—A recent Wyoming Truth survey of University of Wyoming juniors and seniors revealed that the majority of respondents intend to leave the state following graduation, a sign that “brain drain” is an ongoing issue plaguing the Cowboy State.

As a college student in Wyoming, Riley Talamantes pictured herself living in the Cowboy State after completing her studies because of the community she built and the sense of self she developed while living in Laramie. Yet, in the end, she left Wyoming for work opportunities in the Pacific Northwest.