Garrison Gionet

South Seattle College

"Injuries have inspired me to pursue a career in physical therapy."

Garrison Gionet

Garrison “Cub” Gionet wants to share his love of sports and physical fitness with as many people as possible, and his journey to a career in health management was spurred two years ago at South Seattle College. A graduate of West Seattle High School, he’s well on his way to completing his Associate of Science program, with plans to transfer to the kinesiology program at Western Washington University this fall after graduation. We caught up with him recently to hear more about his endeavors.  

While Gionet’s now a big proponent of spending time outside and working up a sweat, he wasn’t always this way. “As a kid I really hated exercise,” he confesses. “I only really loved reading, and it was hard for the rest of my very active family. I have four siblings and they were all into sports throughout my childhood, and I was kind of the black sheep that didn’t really want to do any of that.” 

Such was the case until high school, when he started getting interested in sports and discovered he actually enjoyed physical activity. But lacking a lifetime of conditioning, his early efforts led to sports-related injuries that landed him in physical therapy. Amazingly, this experience proved to be instrumental to Gionet’s career plans. “I was really inspired by the physical therapists I worked with. Being that kind of person who can help someone recover from those sorts of injuries or health complications is definitely something I want to do.”  

His relatively new love of sports and the outdoors has prompted him to focus his college career on programs that will allow him to help others maximize their bodies’ potential. “My dream career is health management or physical therapy,” he says. “I feel like becoming a personal trainer, health coach or anything in that field. There’s a very broad spectrum of careers in that area, and I’m not sure yet where exactly on that spectrum I’ll end up, but I know that’s the field in which I want to work. It’s pulling me like a magnet.” 

Heeding that call has made his life much easier and has allowed him to take advantage of Seattle Promise. Like many students, Gionet had prepared himself to make some hard choices to get his college degree but found the ideal path forward at South Seattle College. “The free college tuition is something I’ve really come to depend on as my family can’t really afford to send me to college, so this has been really impactful for me.” 

The tuition support has been game-changing, but to Gionet the ability to stay close to his parents and siblings has been just as important. “I didn’t really want to move away to another state and leave my family,” he says. “I live in West Seattle, and South Seattle is just a fifteen-minute drive away. It’s so amazing having Promise and South available as an option without having to entirely uproot my life and take on huge loans to complete my higher education.” 

With his final year at South taking shape and with big plans on his horizon, Gionet is excited to delve deeper into sports medicine and kinesiology. “Fitness has really helped me get control over my own life, and it has helped me stay physically and also mentally healthy, especially through quarantining during the pandemic.” 

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