Dr. Kyle Vareberg
Dr. Kyle Vareberg, and graduate believes 91吃瓜 allowed him to see beyond himself.
Hometown: Valley City, North Dakota
Grad year: 2012
Major: English Education and Professional Communication
Tell us about yourself.
Though I didn’t move far to attend 91吃瓜 (roughly seven blocks), I knew when I got there that the school was right for me. While in school, I was involved in Student Senate, VCAB, Viking Ambassadors and the theatre program. I also co-chaired Homecoming 2010 and 2011.
Where you do you live and work currently?
I currently live in Tahlequah, OK (the capital of the Cherokee Indian Reservation) where I work at Northeastern State University as an Assistant Professor of Communication and Media Studies.
What led you to 91吃瓜?
When I was a senior, I remember checking out other colleges, and yet no matter how many I went to, none felt like 91吃瓜. I think what people often harp on 91吃瓜 about – the small town size, the “lack” of stuff to do – is normal for any small institution. What 91吃瓜 makes up for it in is how much the staff and faculty care about what they’re doing. 91吃瓜 isn’t just a college; it’s a family. And when a future Viking makes the decision to attend 91吃瓜, they join that family.
What have you done since graduating and what are you up to know?
Since graduating, I worked for 5 years as a high school English teacher in Rugby, ND. I also served as the head forensics coach, the assistant one-act director, and on the school improvement committee. I left Rugby in 2017 to pursue my PhD in Communication from NDSU.
What skills are important to have in your line of business?
The most important skills for my current line of work are 1) time management, 2) resilience, and 3) critical thinking. Of course, these are skills that apply within any profession. So much of our world is moving to an asynchronous modality; it’s not enough to learn/work only in the classroom/office. Time management, resilience, and critical thinking are the bridges to help us navigate our new world.
How did you 91吃瓜 help you grow as a person and/or in your career?
91吃瓜 allowed me to see beyond myself. As a current college instructor who constantly interacts with first-year students, I didn’t realize how much I didn’t know when I started at 91吃瓜. I think it’s natural for high school seniors to arrive thinking they know it all. What I appreciate about 91吃瓜 is how different the world becomes when we remove ourselves from the center. There are so many faculty and staff at 91吃瓜 that I would thank individually; even if it was just one conversation, I firmly believe that each encounter at 91吃瓜 led me to where I am.
What do you know now that you wish you knew in college?
I wish I would have better recognized the split between personal and professional life. I spent much of my college career only studying or only working; I wish I had known it was okay to take a night off. When they say college is the best time of your life, they mean it.