Cameron Burns (BS Geology, 2017)

The year is 2017 and it is graduation day. My wife, two dogs, and I hopped into an old Chevy and made the long journey down to Richland, Washington. I, like a number of other alumni, found that the first step of my professional career was with GRAM Northwest as a Staff Geologist.

After a year of meandering around the Hanford nuclear site, mostly chasing drill rigs and building wells, I accepted a position with the Washington State Department of Transportation as a Civil Engineer. My career with WSDOT began much the same as the one with GRAM, which is to say that I spent a considerable amount of time in the field and my time indoors consisted of technical writing, CAD, and GIS. This would ultimately open the door for me to spend time as a surveyor, materials tester, and designer before moving into a more office-based administrative role.

After several years of contract administration, documentation, and project management, I accepted a position with WSDOT HQ Program Management and currently serve as the Project Controller for the agency's South Central Region.

Although I ultimately moved into an adjacent industry and no longer work in geosciences, I frequently think back fondly on my time at Central Washington University as a period of both personal and professional growth. I was afforded a number of unique opportunities during my time at CWU, including serving as a Teaching Assistant and Student Academic Senate representative. The skills that I developed as a result of my opportunities and experiences helped to solidify the foundation upon which I've built my career, and the relationships that I made during my time in school are some the strongest in my life.

I love speaking to other alumni and current students about working in the geosciences, how to practically apply our skill sets in other industries, or even just to talk about how rocks & hiking are cool.

Feel free to reach out to Nick for my contact info!