Joe Sauceda & the Life of an Ethnobotanist

By Kelly Taylor, ENGL 336.002

Joseph “Joe” Sauceda isn’t just your normal college student. Joe is the determined, and hard working type of college student. He has had a rough history when it comes to school, but ultimately he found his passion. What is Joe’s passion? His passion is his major, Ethnobotany.

When speaking with Joe, it was brought up that he is not originally from the East Coast. Joe is from good ol’ Kansas, Derby Kansas to be exact. When growing up in Kansas Joe wanted to be a couple different things. He wanted to go to school for culinary and anthropology. He ultimately combined the two in a way and chose ethnobotany as his major field of study.

After Joe chose ethnobotany as his major, he then had to make a decision as to which school he wanted to attend for this specific program. “It was either I go to Hawaii or here to Frostburg. They’re the only two schools in the country that have ethnobotany as a major and not as only a minor” said Joe.  When we started talking more about his major, I had to ask the one question that everybody always wonders; are most ethnobotany majors “Pot Heads.”  Joe’s answer was a great one, and it definitely answered my question, “um, I think uh a lot of people might be drawn to ethno botany because of that. We cover marijuana and other hallucinogenic plants and stuff like that in class and how people relate to them. I wouldn’t say everyone is but there are some who are in the major.”  I thought that it was interesting when we discussed this somewhat sensitive topic, that he was straightforward and honest.

Joe seemed very comfortable while being interviewed.  I guess its from meeting so many people in his life since he lived in Kansas, moved to Texas for a little while, then back to Kansas and now here, in Maryland.  I asked him what his favorite part of being in Frostburg was and Joe said, “the mountains around here.”  Ultimately Joe is glad that he chose to come to Frostburg for the amazing ethno botany major the school has.  He will be graduating from Frostburg State University in either May 2013, or December 2013. 

If anyone is interested in finding out about more about the ethnobotany program here at Frostburg State University, visit the website at www.frostburg.edu/aces/ethnobotany-program/