Bethina Laube Rekowsky with other participants at SustainMV 2025. © Melanie Deutsch
Throwback to a summer in Greifswald
From Brazil to Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: In this interview, forestry engineering student Bethina Laube Rekowsky shares how participating in SustainMV 2025 became a dream come true. After joining the programme online in 2024, she returned determined to experience it on site — and discovered inspiring lectures, unforgettable excursions, and a new academic perspective. What began as an interest in sustainability and biological control turned into a life-changing summer in Greifswald — one that may shape her future far beyond Germany.
Bethina, you are a master student studying forestry engineering at FURB (Regional University of Blumenau). 2025, you took part in our summer school SustainMV. Why did you apply in the first place?
Olá! Since my thesis is about Biological Control using insects to control invasive plants, and I work at a company related to sustainability, I had a lot of interest in taking part in SustainMV from the moment I heard about this summer course. I have been to Germany twice before, but never in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and that increased my interest.
Unfortunately, in 2024, I wasn’t selected to the on-site part of the summer course, but I joined the online part and it was lifechanging because I got in contact with students and researchers from all over the world and saw different realities, projects and researches. Since the online course was so great, I was sure I needed to have the full experience, so I decided to try again in 2025 and got selected for the onsite course. It was a dream coming true!
Did you enjoy the programme? What was your favourite lecture, workshop or trip?
It was my first time traveling alone, but the organization of SustainMV was phenomenal and gave me a lot of structure to go to Germany. During these two weeks, we had incredible lectures and excursions. My favorites were the excursions to the Hiddensee island, the Solarzentrum and the lecture “Sustainability in the Baltic Sea fisheries – Past and present”. Also, it was really fun to visit the Aquaponics lab.
Was there a city or a university that surprised you?
Greifswald University stood out to me. Especially the arboretum, greenhouses and the library. I can really see myself studying there. On the other hand, Wismar was the city that surprised me the most. The architecture was beautiful, the history was really interesting and we had a great tour by the campus.
Experiencing these five cities and seeing how sustainability is involved in all faces of the community changed my vision about this subject, especially because this is a problem that we face in Brazil, where sustainability is still misunderstood and seen as “out of our reach” by many.
What did you personally take away from your stay?
For me, the best part of SustainMV was making friends from different countries and cultures. We spent a lot of time together at the lectures, tours and also during the free time, especially while making dinner together and playing cards.
I can see myself studying in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and I’m aiming to do a master’s degree in Greifswald. Seeing the city, the university and being in close contact with the students inspired me to think about moving abroad and starting another degree there. All of the International offices were really supportive and motivated us to think bigger and follow our dreams. I’m really grateful for participating in SustainMV, it was a one in a lifetime experience.
Interview: Sophie Müller and Bethina Laube Rekowsky, 31.03.2026
The SustainMV project is funded by the Ministry of Science, Culture, Federal and European Affairs of the State of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The project’s patron is Minister Bettina Martin. The project brings together research, practice and education to communicate sustainability issues in an engaging format. Applications for the SustainMV Summer School 2026 are open until 19 April 2026. Further information.
