Kent Scarince’s hometown of Lander is nestled at the base of the Wind River Mountains. This town of just over 7,500 is a friendly little place where people are eager to help each other out. Lander is home to the National Outdoor Leadership School and hosts the International Climbing Festival every year.
Lander boasts a number of UW graduates. Selmer Lane Pederson was starting safety for the Cowboys from 1949 to 1951 and is considered the best safety in football, according to former coach Bowden Wyatt. The Cowboys record was 26-3-1 when Pederson played.
Pederson still holds the Cowboy record for punt return yards and average yards per return. He was inducted in the University of Wyoming Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame on Sept. 14, the night before the Cal Poly game.
The town boasts a population of around 7,571 and is also the home of the National Outdoor Leadership School.
Sophomore Kent Scarince is a more recent student from Lander and is studying mechanical engineering at the University of Wyoming.
“It (Lander) has a small town mentality. People are always willing to help each other out. Everyone knows each other,” Scarince said.
Lander is located at the mouth of Sinks Canyon National Park. “There’s great climbing up Sinks and at Wild Iris,” Scarince said. The International Climbers Festival is hosted in Lander in the summer. Climbers from around the world come for this week long celebration.
Scarince maintains his friendships with his hometown friends from Lander and lives in a house with them. “Living with three other people you’ve known since grade school is fun and relaxed,” he said.
Despite being away from home, Scarince is doing fine here in Laramie. “The environment created by the people is very friendly at UW. It’s very open and inviting,” Scarince said. “There’s a strong sense of community throughout the whole campus.”
Scarince is on a 5-year track to get a mechanical engineering degree with a potential minor in German and Honors. “I used to be a chemical engineer. Mark Haskins, a UW alumnus, helped spark my interest in chemistry, but then I switched due to future career prospects. I have more interest in creating something tangible with my hands, as opposed to mixing chemicals together,” Scarince said.
Scarince spends hours at the library studying. “It’s quiet at the library. I can focus on my schoolwork without the distractions and noise at home,” he said. Underground hip-hop and dub-step occupies his headphones while studying.
Lander is directly adjacent to the Wind River Reservation, home of the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapahoe tribes. These tribes allow gambling on their reservation.
“The Wind River Casino is a fun place to go at night when not much else is going on,” Scarince said. “I’ve both won and lost quite a bit there on the blackjack tables. If you set limits, it’s a fun form of entertainment.”
