(Scott Chia -- The Beacon)
By Rachel McIntosh, Staff Writer -- mcintosh14@up.edu
Gareth Smyth brings life to Chris Farley's famous phrase "living in a van down by the river."
Traveling on Route 66 from New York to California and across Europe in a trailer camper, this 39-year-old sophomore is living life to the fullest but he dreams of traveling even farther.
Smyth said the University of Portland is just another stop in his great adventure.
"Portland is a great place," Smyth said. "The city itself is very vibrant. There are so many things to do around here. Powell's might just be my favorite shop in the world. Having it cheap and easy to get around really helps too; so many other places I have been have terrible public transport. The only criticism of the transport is that it doesn't run late enough after a night out."
With a desire to further his education (and because he loves to travel) he enrolled with a full-ride scholarship through the studies abroad program at his technical college, South Eastern Regional College located in Bangor, Northern Ireland. His school picked UP as the school he would attend. Smyth, although undecided in his major, is focusing his area of study on computer science and business classes, with an interest in possibly starting his own business one day.
"I'm still not sure. The right thing needs to come along, but I would like to open a vet practice with a friend of mine," Smyth said. "She's a vet and I could do the business side of things with some of what I've learned while here."
Smyth has traveled all across the world and back, meeting interesting and exciting people along the way.
"Traveling – I love it. I would recommend it to anyone. After two years I get the itch to go and then I just get going – as long as I have the money, of course," Smyth said. "That's the whole philosophy, really: Be a happy hobo."
With diverse cultures and foreign languages, most travelers would be lost in translation, but Smyth found a way to communicate with almost everyone he met while traveling.
"The common language was wine," Smyth said.
His dabbles in different cultures have made him an asset and mentor to many students in the UP community.
"He is my go-to guy when I have questions about different cultures. He has been a lot of places so he knows things that I have no idea about," sophomore Zack Muth said.
Smyth was born in South Africa, but his family is originally from Northern Ireland. He dedicated his life to his passions and goals.
"I plan on finding what I haven't found," Smyth said.
According to his hallmate, freshman Devin Helmgren, the most marketable aspect of this cultured sophomore is his personality.
"He is really quick to make buddies with people but he just has a friendly nature," Helmgren said. "He is quick on his feet and he always jumps at the opportunity to introduce himself and make people laugh."
Places Gareth Smyth has been (Elizabeth Tertardian -- The Beacon)
