Oct. 21, 2009

Former Florida State University track and field thrower Garrett Johnson had a more than storied career during his tenure at FSU. His is the ultimate example of taking advantage of the opportunities presented, and striving for even more. It’s difficult to pick a good starting point when discussing Garrett’s path to Washington, D.C., and his current position as Professional Staff to the Ranking Member with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

When asked about when he first considered becoming a Student-Athlete Advisory Council member at FSU, Garrett stated, “I was president of my class all four years in high school at Tampa Baptist Academy, and on my recruiting trip, during a visit with the Student Services office, I inquired about leadership opportunities and SAAC was the leadership group that was mentioned.”

Garrett decided to attend FSU for a variety of reasons, “My brother was already here and I felt very comfortable with the coaching staff. The recruiting visit was warm, welcoming and very collegial, I knew I would be taken care of,” said Johnson. “Knowing that politics was something I was thinking about, Tallahassee being the state capital was important for the opportunities that might be available for me.”

Johnson eventually reached the positions of vice-chair of the ACC Student Athlete Advisory Council, and two-time president of the FSU Student-Athlete Advisory Council, as well as vice president of Student Seminole Boosters. Additionally, the two-time team track and field captain represented Florida State at the annual NCAA Leadership Conference in Orlando, Fla.

SAAC was an important consideration for Johnson, “It was great to meet and get to know student-athletes from other teams. It was a fun learning environment, and I got to make friends from every team. It really broadened my experience and gave it a more robust quality,” said Johnson. “I felt it was my duty and honor to do things to improve the quality of life for all student-athletes, and it gave me a chance to get to know our administration at a much higher level.”

However, Garrett’s time at FSU was not a journey without some bumps along the way. During the 2003-04 seasons, Johnson, then a sophomore, was slowed with chest pains. After stints of coughing up blood and continued pains, he ended up in a Tampa hospital over winter break. He spent three weeks at home after losing almost 40 pounds, before returning to campus, school and work.

Johnson took a medical redshirt during the 2003-04 seasons to rehab from what was eventually diagnosed to be blood clots in his lung. In 2005, he began an amazing comeback, provisionally qualifying for nationals in his very first meet back. Eventually the three-time ACC Champion, and four-time All-American, also became the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor National Shot Put Champion helping FSU to their first-ever NCAA championship in men's track. He was selected as the top scholar-athlete by the national sports information directors association and was tabbed the Division I Outdoor Men's Track and Field Co-Athlete of the Year.

Academically he didn’t miss a beat, being named a two-time ESPN Academic All-District III team member as well as earning FSU's Golden Torch Award for the highest GPA on the men's track and field team and being named a 2005 Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sports Scholar. Garrett was also a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Collegiate Honor Society and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. He was a three-time ACC Academic Honor Roll member and was named to the Dean's List three times with a 3.5 GPA or better and the President's list with a 4.0 GPA. Garrett graduated magna cum laude in three years with dual degrees in Political Science and English and a GPA of 3.82.

Outside the classroom and away from the track, Johnson earned praise for his continuous outreach in the Tallahassee community and his work overseas, specifically in Haiti. In 2004-05, Johnson worked as the assistant to the executive director for the Governor of Florida's Haiti Advisory Group (HAG) where he provided group members with critical research and analysis on major areas of concern. In April 2005, Johnson became the special assistant to the governor and chief of staff, where he helped implement HAG recommendations and served as a liaison between members of the Florida legislature and the governor's office during natural disasters. Other projects included volunteering as a member of the Intergovernmental Relations Team during the hurricane emergencies in 2004, staff support at the Florida State Emergency Operations Center and as a campaign worker on the Bush/Cheney 2004 Presidential Re-election Campaign.

In recognition of his community service efforts, the Coca-Cola Company and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) announced Johnson as one of seven recipients of the 2005-06 Coca-Cola Community All-American awards, for making a difference in his community.

Foregoing his final year of eligibility, Garrett was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship on Saturday, November 19, 2005. Garrett was one of 32 college students from throughout the United States chosen to study at the University of Oxford, the criteria for the program being based on academic success, leadership potential, personal integrity and physical vigor.

Johnson became (at the time) just the second FSU student ever to have been selected as a Rhodes Scholar. Garrett was the first FSU student-athlete selected and the first in the ACC to be selected in 28 years.

"This is an honor for Garrett, Florida State University and all Floridians," said then Governor Jeb Bush. "Garrett's achievement in becoming a Rhodes Scholar demonstrates his leadership, dedication to public service and commitment to excellence. He is an example to all Florida students who are striving for academic success."

Garrett recently returned from England after receiving his Master of Philosophy in Migration Studies from Oxford. Whereas, at one point in his life, Garrett thought he was going to go to culinary school to be a chef, as he put it, “I liked to eat, so I figured I needed to know how to cook.” He realized quickly that his interest in politics and government were just as strong, and that he could pursue both dreams at the same time.

Johnson was particularly thankful for his chance to attend Oxford, “It was great winning the Rhodes Scholarship, because with it came great opportunities, and it continues to have an influence in my life. I think it was equally important for my family and community.” Garrett went on to say that, “Those were two of the most meaningful years, the travel, the friendships I now have for life, the experiences and memories that I will carry into old age. I had life defining experiences. I wish everyone had the opportunity to live abroad at some point.”

When asked about his time as a SAAC member, both institutionally and at the conference level, he was most proud of the community service efforts.

“We really focused on community service while I was at FSU, we tried to push and encourage it in total, but our focus was on getting more people involved. We knew once they participated, they’d be hooked, and want to do more. As you get more people engaged, it becomes an even more worthwhile effort,” Johnson said.

Currently Garrett is a member of the Professional Staff to the Ranking Member with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and he was quick to point out that, “Your tax dollars pay my salary!”

His committee approves the positions of Secretary of State as well as Ambassadors. More specifically he spends time, “exploring policies that strive to improve the quality of life for poor people in other countries. Primarily migration issues, not only with immigration here in the United States, but with forced migration happening in other countries.” When questioned further he stated that he isn’t, “limited to specific regions, but works more with topical global issues, such as development and migration.”

Garrett sees himself staying in his current position for the next few years anyway, saying he really enjoys the work and the people. That being said, he is scheduled to take the Law School Admissions Test in December. When asked what the future holds for him, Garrett said, “I’d like to run for office someday. Florida is a great state, and it would be a place I’d consider calling home again. I am Tampa born and raised, maybe someday I’ll be practicing law, and maybe owning a business. That’s the blueprint for right now, but I’m still thinking and you never know what the long term might bring.”

"I have been involved in collegiate athletics for almost 30 years and I have never known anyone that comes close to the person, leader, student and athlete that Garrett is," said FSU head track and field coach Bob Braman. "How selfless he is and all he does for other people. The way he's driven in so many areas is amazing."

It remains to be seen if we can convince Garrett to rejoin us in Florida now that he is making contacts on the national level. But if he does decide to head south to the Sunshine State, we’d be glad to have him back.