Sheila Swanberg

Wildlife Biology Major with French minor, 2013

“I studied French because I liked studying it. Studying French has made me more interested in other languages, though I haven’t learned as many as I would like to yet. Being close to Latin, French has helped me through some biology classes since I was able to recognize key words with ease. I won a scholarship to study French in Québec and this study abroad program gave me the chance to be more independent. The experience really helps me now that I am out of college and away from home. It also gave me the opportunity to view another culture, even though Alaska’s culture is rather similar to the culture I saw in Québec. I have just graduated and I have been looking into a few study abroad programs that deal exclusively with biology projects (Round River Conservation Studies). They have programs in all sorts of places around the world but particularly in Africa as well as several locations in Canada and U.S. My study abroad in Québec actually influenced my decision to look for a job abroad and I wouldn’t have thought to look into that sort of programs hadn’t I had such an experience with it in the past.

I occasionally still have conversations in French with some family members and friends who also speak this language, I also listen to French poetry on my mp3 player just to keep in practice. I certainly hope to use my French skills in the near future.”