Featured Scholar:
Gretchen Skedsvold
2000 - 2001 University Scholar
Mentor: Nigel Smith
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Portuguese and cattle ranching might seem like an unlikely combination, but Portuguese major Gretchen Skedsvold had the opportunity to both practice her language skills and use her knowledge of cattle ranching when she visited Brazil last summer as part of her research on the intensification of cattle ranching in the lower Amazon.
Gretchen grew up on a cattle ranch in North Dakota, and her father recently switched from raising cattle to raising bison. "He has about 25-35 bison right now, and while bison meat tastes like beef, it is actually much lower in cholesterol." Even though Gretchen enjoyed living in North Dakota, she and her family decided it would be in her best interest to move in with her grandparents, who live in Cocoa Beach, Florida, for her senior year in high school.
"Because I grew up a small rural area, there were no opportunities for me to take advanced college prep classes in high school, so I transferred to a high school down here in Florida so I could prepare myself for college and have more options."
When Gretchen first arrived in Gainesville to attend UF she was not thrilled with the atmosphere, but it started to grow on her. "I didn't know anyone, and I thought it was such a boring place to live and go to school. Everything looked the same," says Gretchen. "But once I began to meet people, I learned how diverse Gainesville is. You can drive out 20 miles and explore the rural areas, and then downtown Gainesville has its own culture. The beach is only an hour away, so I've learn to really appreciate this area and the natural environments it has to offer."
Last summer, Gretchen had the opportunity to live and conduct research in yet another new environment &endash; the Amazon. She used her USP travel money to help finance a five-week trip to Brazil. "I was in northern Brazil, mostly in the grassland areas, researching cattle ranching and deforestation, and how they affect the highlands and the floodplains. Since it was the rainy season, I had to travel by boat for eight hours to reach one of my research sites." Gretchen's mentor, UF Geography Chair Nigel Smith, accompanied her during the first week of her journey, and then she was on her own. "When I went into the city, I had to speak Portuguese because very few people in the rural areas spoke English, so it was definitely a learning experience."
Brazilian culture was not new to Gretchen. While living in North Dakota, her family hosted an exchange student, Anna, from Brazil for one year, and Gretchen actually visited Anna's family in Brazil in 1997. She also hopes to return to the South American country again. "I'm going to apply to a six-week summer program next year in Rio with the Prudential Corporation. I'm gaining more interest in business and marketing and would like to obtain an internship down there." Gretchen also plans to graduate from UF next summer and possibly pursue graduate studies in geography or a related field.
Photo Courtesy of Gretchen Skedsvold
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