My Shot: Dog Days
A single decision during the height of the pandemic changed the entire trajectory of Colton Scrudder’s (B’22) life.
When COVID-19 forced Georgetown University to move classes online, Scrudder was at a crossroads. He knew remote learning wasn’t a good fit for him, and he couldn’t stomach not returning back to the Hilltop to complete his degree.
So, he decided to take a leave of absence and do something completely out of the ordinary. “I thought to myself, ‘Okay, I have this year off. What’s the craziest thing I can do?’” Scrudder said.
After researching opportunities and speaking with his girlfriend, who is also a Hoya alumna, the decision was made. They both headed to Alaska to help run a sled dog kennel in a remote, wooded region of the state.
“When we arrived in Alaska, we had to drive down a dirt road for nearly three hours — with an ATV ride mixed in — to get to our homestead. That’s how secluded it was.”
The isolation ended up creating a sense of a “more normal life” in comparison to friends and family who were masking up in cities all over the world. But the day-to-day responsibilities at the homestead were anything but routine for the Dallas-born and Washington, D.C.-bred college student.
“In the winter, our days were planned around daylight,” Scrudder said. “We would only have three or four hours of solid daylight, and we had to spend that time running the sled dogs.”
In addition to running the sled dogs nearly 60 miles a day, Scrudder regularly woke up around 5 a.m. to feed them, clean the kennel, and cut five or six tons of meat byproduct for the next meal.
After spending a year in the wilderness, Scrudder came back to D.C. to finish his degree in finance and operations at McDonough. Returning to campus was an adjustment. With a long Alaskan beard, not only was Scrudder a bit unrecognizable, but he also had to re-learn how to use a calendar and stay on top of academic coursework.
When it was time to apply for a job post-graduation, despite attempting to look at traditional financial firms in D.C. and New York, Scrudder couldn’t ignore his newfound love of Alaska. “Finally, I was like, I need to find a job in Alaska. Which is how I ended up with my job at the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation in Juneau.”
Today, Scrudder is a credit analyst on the Fixed Income team, where he works on U.S. corporate bonds. He begins his day before sunrise and wraps by 2 p.m. in order to keep up with the public markets in New York.
“If I didn’t go to Alaska in college, I very likely would have ended up on a different path, probably working in finance in a big city.”
Not only would Scrudder’s career look different, his free time would, too. When he’s not working, he’s training his Belgian sheepdog, Dipper, for search and rescue operations.
“In about 18 months, Dipper and I plan on taking a national certification test to certify with our local search and rescue team,” he said. “Then, we will be able to deploy, and hopefully, help find missing people.”
Scrudder plans on living in Alaska for the foreseeable future — with his girlfriend and Dipper — to explore all that vast forests and coastlines have to offer. His journey to Alaska, including his newfound hobbies, reinforced that taking a chance on yourself, even if it’s risky, is always worth it in the end.
“Always look at what you might regret in 50 years,” Scrudder said. “If you think you will regret not taking your shot, then absolutely do it.”
This story was originally featured in the Georgetown Business Fall 2024 Magazine. Download the Georgetown Business Audio app to listen to the stories and other bonus content.