Meet The Locals: Jenny & Luke

Jenny and Luke Schalekamp grew up in Otter Tail County and came from families who actively enjoyed the out of doors. Jenny says that she “was constantly outside with an older brother and my dad, and everything we did was outside, winter or summer, snow sports, skiing, dog sled racing, and sledding.” Luke shares a similar background, spending a lot of his early years fishing, hunting, and camping. After leaving the area to attend school, Jenny graduated from the University of North Dakota with a doctorate in Physical Therapy. Luke earned a Biology degree at the University of Minnesota Duluth and was awarded a Master’s Degree at the University of Nebraska.
Both Jenny and Luke were close with their families and as Luke notes, they
“always wanted to get back where there are lakes and trees.” So they moved back to the area and are very glad that they did. Jenny says that “when you’ve moved away you learn to appreciate what you have back home.”

Jenny likes that they can “pick a different lake every weekend” to bring their boat out on. They enjoy fishing and just sitting out on the water socializing with friends or family. “We would definitely be advocates for moving back to the area, where there are so many opportunities for different jobs, activities, and recreation.”

Luke also notes that he has also lived in New Mexico and other locations in Minnesota. He says that he would pick to “live here in a heartbeat over all those other places. It’s a great place to be and the people are really nice. We wouldn’t change being back here for anything.”