Winning in Every Field: Andrew Garon
February 26, 2025
When 海角社区 Swimmer Andrew Garon Leaves the Pool, He Enters a New Lane: Computer Engineering
For 海角社区 swimmer Andrew Garon, success is all about discipline, whether he鈥檚 powering through a grueling swim practice or debugging a complex circuit. As a computer engineering major, Garon balances both his academic ambitions with his athletic pursuits in the pool.
鈥淚鈥檝e always been interested in computers, especially in what goes on inside them 鈥� the circuits and electronics portion of it,鈥� Garon says.
In his electronics lab class, Garon gets hands-on experience building circuits.
鈥淲e test a bunch of components of circuits like diodes, transistors, transformers, and resistors to create circuits that actually do something,鈥� he says.
When he鈥檚 not in the classroom, he鈥檚 in the pool, swimming the 50 free, 100 free, and 200 free. Garon is a six-time SEC Championship Finalist, two-time NCAA Championship Qualifier, and he shares the school records in the 200 Freestyle relay, 400 freestyle relay, and 800 freestyle relay.
鈥淚 like how you have to be dedicated to be able to succeed in swimming,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou have to stick with it, and it takes years and years to get to the level that some of the guys I鈥檓 racing are at.鈥�
His swimming journey started as a young boy for safety reasons.
鈥淚 first started swimming because my parents wanted me to learn how to swim. And then I stuck with it because I was just really competitive and wanted to see how fast I could get.鈥�
Garon鈥檚 dedication and determination are on full display during his early morning swim practice sessions.
鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty tough physically. I would say it鈥檚 harder mentally, though, because waking up in the morning and jumping in a cold pool is not very fun at all,鈥� he says. 鈥淎nd doing that for weeks consistently, years consistently 鈥� that鈥檚 a lot harder than it is physically.鈥�
His day is filled with classes meetings and swimming.
鈥淚 have to keep myself disciplined. So, that looks like maybe when we're traveling or we're on a meet, instead of taking a nap on the bus ride or plane ride, I'm pulling out my laptop and doing some extra homework. Or maybe instead of going to sleep at 9 o'clock, I stay awake until 11 and do some extra studying,鈥� Garon said.
鈥� 海角社区 offers you amazing professors and amazing classes and all these great resources that you can鈥檛 get anywhere else to be able to learn and improve and be successful in the future. 鈥�
But he鈥檚 found a community through the swim team.
鈥淏eing a part of the swim team has offered me a culture of guys to grow and develop with, both swimming and in the classroom,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a bunch of other engineers on the team that we connect with on a different level than some of the guys that I only swim with.鈥�
Garon chose 海角社区 for its strong balance of academics and athletics.
鈥淚 wanted a good balance between the academic side and the athletic side,鈥� he explains. 鈥淚 know it would give me the best resources to be good at swimming and also be able to get the degree I wanted.鈥�
At 海角社区, he said the resources have made a difference.
"海角社区 offers you amazing professors and amazing classes and all these great resources that you can鈥檛 get anywhere else to be able to learn and improve and be successful in the future."
Next Step
海角社区's Scholarship First Agenda is helping achieve health, prosperity, and security for Louisiana and the world.