UI grad and expecting mother staying in Moscow for the long haul, for now
Sydney Kalebaugh is not planning on saying goodbye to Moscow anytime soon after graduating from the University of Idaho with a degree in Economics just a few weeks ago.
A native of The Dalles, Oregon, Kalebaugh is now transitioning from the life of a college student in Moscow to a life as a non-college resident of Moscow.
Although she just graduated, she said she will stay in Moscow for the time being. She and her husband, Toban, are expecting their first child later this year. Toban is also a UI graduate and said they are looking forward to raising their first “Vandal baby.”
Yishan Chen | Argonaut
UI graduate Sydney Kalebaugh walks down Blake Avenue. After having her baby with her husband Toban, Kalebaugh plans to live in Moscow for the next couple of years.
The two met at the Wallace Residence Center during her sophomore year. He received his degree in Animal Science a year and a half ago and has been working in Garfield, Washington.
Along with Sydney, Toban is also from Oregon, hailing from Bend, and while they said they would like to move back to their home state, right now they are content in Moscow with her ongoing pregnancy and his work in Garfield.
“I wouldn’t be sad if we were here for a few more years,” Kalebaugh said. “Especially with us raising a kid here, and from everyone I hear this is a great place to raise children.”
One of the things she said she likes about the Moscow community is the community itself. Unlike some other college towns, there is a community outside of the campus, she said.
“We are definitely not in a hurry to leave,” Kalebaugh said. “The one thing I really like about Moscow is it is not just the university. I feel like Moscow has its own community, and so it’s like if you’re not in college it’s not really weird to be here because the community is so rich.”
Her adjustment as not only a college graduate but also an expecting mother hasn’t been without its challenges, though. She said she had some struggles during the first trimester of her pregnancy, which ended on the day she walked across the stage to receive her degree.
But she was lucky, she said. All of her teachers were understanding and willing to work with her, but she still had her issues.
“It’s hard, because with pregnancy if you are sick one morning you can’t just go to the doctor,” she said. “So it is kind of hard, because you end up missing a lot of class and my teachers were all like really, really wonderful to me and understood, and I really appreciated that.”
From a young age Kalebaugh knew she wanted to study business, but it wasn’t until she visited UI that she knew she wanted to attend the university. Along with this, she knew she wanted something to break up the monotony of growing up in Central Oregon.
“But I wanted to go somewhere that was out of state because a lot of the people I had grown up with would all go to the same school,” Kalebaugh said. “So I really wanted to go to school where I didn’t really know anyone and just kind of have a new adventure.”
Along with UI’s strong business and intriguing community, she also has one more thing that linked her to the school — legacy.
Kalebaugh is a fourth generation UI graduate with her father, grandfather and great-grandfather all having attended before her.
Now that Kalebaugh has had a few weeks to sit back and think about her time at UI, she thinks fondly on the memories and friendships she forged since she walked onto campus in the fall of 2011.
“You don’t always take a second to look back when you are in the process, but I mean, it has just been like so much life changes for the better and growth in a few years. It’s crazy,” Kalebaugh said.
Joshua Gamez can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @Gamez_VN