About me:

Hello, my name is Garrett Lynch. I am currently a senior at The University of Kansas and am majoring in Secondary Education with an emphasis on history, government, and ESOL education. I am from Croton-on-Hudson, New York. My town is sandwiched between two rivers, the Hudson River and the Croton River. It is located in Westchester County which is a suburb of New York City.

I have one older brother and one younger sister. I am the classic ‘middle child’ and found it to be both a tough and rewarding "job". My mother is from Nebraska and my father is from Westchester County. My mother is an elementary math specialist and teaches in our town. My father is an auditor for New York State, and is retired from the U.S. military. He commutes on a passenger train from our house to Grand Central Station in New York City and then rides a subway to lower Manhattan. My brother graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2018. He is attending the Fordham School of Law in New York City. My sister is currently a freshman at Hartwick College.

Growing up, I was obsessed with skateboarding and football, but most of all, basketball. I attended two different high schools. One was located in my hometown, and the other was a private school about 30 minutes away. This experience of attending two different high schools helped me to be more outgoing than I once was. Meeting new people from all over my county really helped me to be open to new ideas and to be comfortable with new experiences. I attended a private school specifically for basketball and for the stellar academic reputation of the school. I was caught up in an obsession that took over my life at the time but wouldn't trade it for anything. My private school coach also ran an intensive, high-level AAU program. In addition to year-round practices, my AAU tournament schedule was also grueling. I estimate that I played at least 120 organized games a year with my AAU team plus the regular high school season games. Traveling up and down the East Coast for tournaments was a great experience. The sum of these experiences not only taught me a lot about the sport of basketball, but it also allowed me to grow as a person. This was especially evident when I began to teach and coach others in the sport I grew to love so much. I took my knowledge of the game and started working at basketball camps and began to coach. I believe doing so helped me to realize that I truly enjoy putting in an effort to not only expand my knowledge of basketball but to help other people who are looking to do the same.

My future aspirations stem from the compilation of all these varied experiences. First of all, having a mom as a teacher made me see the profession through her eyes. You could say that I am a fan of teaching and basketball. The amount of preparation, knowledge, and effort that goes into both can be seen both immediately and over time in yourself and others. I aspire to be a Middle School History teacher and a coach. I am also pursuing an ELL endorsement. I have been able to work at basketball camps and also regular summer camps with children of many ages. I also have volunteered to help with summer academic camps in my town. I plan on continuing working on my goals while at the University of Kansas and to continue to assist others in reaching their goals as best I can.