Kaleb Scarberry (BS Geology, 2000)

Most days it doesn't seem like much has changed since my days as an undergrad at CWU because I currently teach courses for the geology department and live in Ellensburg (next door to CWU Geology grad Ken Austin and family in fact). Ellensburg is a different place from the other side of the fence. I enjoy my position very much and got to play an electric guitar at the Zentner House not too long ago.

In reality everything has changed for me, and quite rapidly I should add. Nicole and I were married in Pacific City, OR about two years ago and managed to have a baby about a year after that. Nicole and I both defended our degrees at Oregon State University (M.S- early childhood education and Ph.D.-geology, respectively) on the same day last August and moved to Ellensburg the following week. That was the first day that we needed a baby sitter for our daughter, Mia Noelle Scarberry. She already has a mouth full of teeth and can climb the stairs faster than I can. She's not taking a passive approach to life and it's amazing for me to watch her develop so much every day.

Our family will move on to Oxford, Ohio this August, where I've taken a position as Postdoctoral Research Associate, likely for the next two years. I'm looking forward to adding a bit of research back into my life and will have my hands in projects in Alaska, eastern Oregon and east Africa.

The degree I received from Central really prepared me for success at graduate school and for a career in the geosciences. The longer I hang around academia, the more I have come to appreciate the quality of the geology program at CWU. Field trips and camaraderie are what come to mind when I reflect on my time as a geology major.