Mike Garrison in the carpentry lab with his box
There’s a lot of privilege with what I’ve got going on that a lot of people maybe don’t have.
By Kate Wallace

“Nothing I’m doing here is unique. There are a lot of people out there doing way more than I am. They’re working full-time jobs, raising kids, they have a marriage – so much more than what I’ve got going on. I actually feel like someone else should be sitting here.”

Yet Mike Garrison’s box project caught the eye of the Dean of Trades & Industry when he visited the Carpentry class during the last couple weeks of the semester. Garrison’s box was smaller than other students’, a low-profile piece designed specifically to hold arrows with a carved arrow inlaid on the top.

“The word privilege is getting thrown around these days. There’s a lot of privilege with what I’ve got going on that a lot of people maybe don’t have. Matt [the instructor] is a perfect example. He runs a contracting company. He’s in here teaching. He’s got a family,” Garrison very bluntly put forth.

And he wasn’t wrong. Garrison is at SCTCC for his third degree with full support from his family.

This is his second degree from SCTCC, too. In 2008, he was working at Stearns Manufacturing during the recession and got laid off. At that point, he was looking for a career that would have some longevity, and healthcare seemed like the right fit.

“SCTCC is right here in town. I love the size of the campus. So I ended up doing the [practical] nursing program. Great program – got through it and got an initial job as an LPN in Foley for a couple years,” Garrison explained.

He also took his PN degree from SCTCC and put it toward his bachelor’s in athletic training from St. Cloud State, and he’s been working in healthcare ever since.

However, he might be ready for a change. He’s not ready to change careers 100%, but he’s exploring options.

“I talked to my dad, and we researched what would be a good option. The Carpentry program here just jumped out at me. It’s a one-year program. All the skills that I’ll end up learning can be used the rest of my life,” Garrison noted.

The decision for him to get the degree ended up being a joint decision because the skills he’ll learn in Carpentry will be used to upkeep his home and his dad’s; they live very close to each other. Both their homes are starting to age, and having the skills to fix them will pay for his degree in no time.

Additionally, he found himself with a hammer or saw in his hand when he’d get home from his healthcare job, so Carpentry was a good fit. As for the box he made for the end of semester project? That he created for his hobby: fletching arrows. It’s a great way for him to spend his extra time and useful, too, as he hunts.

“I just have the personality where I like to do anything besides stare at a screen, and building arrows seems to be the thing that keeps me busy enough when I’m not painting decks or doing that type of stuff,” he said.

The box has nooks and crannies, as well as a door and perfectly measured space for the pieces he needs when he’s fletching. Before this, he was throwing everything in a cardboard box, so this will help him stay organized.

But Garrison was quick to point out that his project is no better than anyone else’s: “John did his Lego box there. I think that’s awesome. He put the Lego look on top, and if you flip the lid up, there’s actual cutouts on the bottom, just like a Lego.”

The privilege of his box project being noticed may have been uncomfortable for him. After he thought about it, Garrison felt weird about being featured, especially with how he felt about the other projects in the Carpentry lab.

But the real privilege he knows he has is the support from his family. He’s working one day a week so he can focus on classes and doesn’t have many responsibilities holding him back. He admits that he is really, really lucky, and not everyone is.

Many students, Garrison asserted, are at SCTCC for reasons far beyond his and much more deserving of recognition. They’re here for better careers, a future for their family, a start on their bachelor’s degree to save money, to increase their economic standing. And many are doing this while working full-time, raising children, taking care of elderly parents, or all of the above.

“I just happened to be in a situation in life where I have enough freedom,” Garrsion shared. “A lot of people don’t. And those are the people I think should be getting focused on.”

One thing about privilege is recognizing when you have it. From the start, Garrison emphasized that it shouldn’t be him the focus was on. Another thing about privilege is that you can use it to bring to light those who don’t have it.

While Garrison may not think his box project isn’t anything special, the ripple effects might just be.

 

If you need a little extra support as a student, there are many resources at SCTCC.

Questions? Email asksctcc@sctcc.edu

 

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Carpentry Story
Student Story