|
Up close and personal
Gary Gibbud has a reason to get up in the morning.
Gary Gibbud knows the importance of having a reason for getting up in the morning. At times, life has come at Gibbud in challenging rushes. Three years ago, he was paralyzed, and since then has lived in a nursing home. In his younger days, he had issues with drugs. He never finished high school.
 Because of his injury, Gibbud can no longer work as a diesel mechanic. He realized that if he didn’t take action, his existence might be limited to the inside of his nursing home.
So Gibbud took action. He got his GED and jumped into studies at St. Petersburg College. He expects to graduate in Fall 2009, and then pursue a career as a substance abuse counselor.
“I realized that my life could simply be about sitting around, or I could take action and take advantage of what St. Petersburg College could offer me,” Gibbud said. “Going to college occupies my mind, and keeps me active and involved in my own well-being.”
“When I first came to SPC, I told them I wanted a reason to get up in the morning, and that is exactly what they have given me.”
Gibbud explains that St. Petersburg College has provided the opportunity, but that he supplies the commitment and the hard work.
“SPC has shown me that I, a 42-year-old paralyzed veteran who quit high school 26 years ago, am capable of achieving my dream of being a college graduate,” Gibbud said. “There are no limits on my education – I can take advantage of the vast number of opportunities that are available to me, or to anyone who has the desire to pursue them.”
Return to the student stories index page.
Catalog quick links
|