About Me

Profile

About:

Adventurist. Optimist. Teacher. Artist. Sagittarius. Adrenaline junkie.

Orange, Texas. A small blip-on-the-radar town where you either get so tired of quickly like it's a buzzing mosquito that bites (and there are plenty down there...) or the comfortable ease of living traps you like flies stuck in thick honey. Growing up as the runt of the family with three significantly older siblings advanced my development. My parents, Jay and Virginia Garrison, raised us to reach our full potential with great expectations. After watching Chris, Jayna, and Jayme leave for college with wide eyes and high hopes, I was ready to go, too. After eighteen years, I was ready to squash the mosquito and see rest of the world. And when I have an itch to scratch the bump on my heart, all I need to do is visit home.

I have two homes.
My family and childhood memories may reside in Orange, TX but my passion thrives in Austin, TX. The wonderful marriage of city and nature with an abundant heap of weird that hugs me tightly. I've grown exponentially during my time at the University of Texas. I have sharpened my skills and expanded my horizons as I plunge deeper into my desires and dreams. I yearn to teach, to spark the art within a student to see their own potential. To facilitate a student's expression of an idea. To engage a student's thought using theatre. As a fourth year B.F.A. Theatre Education major, I seek to integrate art and curricula. I love experiencing science, math, english, etc. through theatre with students.

When I was younger, I was ready to get out of that small town to see the bigger world.
Now I wish to bring the world to students who are stuck in small towns.

Why I Ride

I ride for my grandfather, James Garrison or "Pop," who has never let his battle with cancer squash his adventurous spirit. After working years in a chemical plant to support his family after serving in the Navy during WWII, he now lives with mesothelioma because of prolonged exposure to asbestos. At the age of 89, he still hikes and canoes--a true outdoor spirit. I am SO proud to have his good genes. He's a huge supporter of my education. He invests in his family to see them succeed. Pop acts as the keystone that brings our family together for reunions, birthdays, and holidays. Every kid in our family has childhood memories spending weekends and summers with Pop. Our family has weird age gaps in generations so each kid has a different perspective of their time with Pop, but we're all still left with life lessons and a love for outdoors. It's hard to think my own children won't be able to experience the same with him.

I ride for my late brother, Christopher Garrison or "Bubba", who challenged me to do my best. Being fifteen years my senior, he was a father figure to me. He was changing my diapers and holding my hand when he was just a teenager. He never stopped giving. His time, his love, his energy, his ideas, his effort. After nearly seven years since his passing, I still work hard to make him proud. Bubba always made me believe I could do anything I want. He wanted me to get out of our small town and change the world.

And as crazy as this bike ride sounds, this is what I want.
To fight for you. Your family. Your friends. Your peers and colleagues. For all identities.

I ride for your memories that keep a person alive long after their gone.