Garrett Henrickson’s family moved to Canterwood when Garrett was four years old. A well-rounded kid with broad interests and talents, Garret is now in his senior year of high school.

Time flies!

“I’m applying for college this fall,” Garrett told us. “I’m a huge sports fan. I am interested in a school with big sports teams and I am looking seriously at SEC [Southeastern Conference] schools.” The SEC includes 16 member schools, many of which are strong in sports, such as the University of Florida, the University of Georgia, or the University of Alabama, to name a few. 

It was the summer of 2012 when Garrett’s parents, Drew and Katie, brought Garrett and his two brothers, Gavin and Gage, to our beautiful neighborhood. Garrett is the middle child, with Gavin being the oldest, and Gage being the youngest. Garrett attends Peninsula High School, which is also where he’s been building up his sports portfolio. “I played on the Peninsula basketball team for two years and then decided that participating on the Unified Basketball Team was a good fit because it combined my love of basketball with my passion for helping others,” Garrett shared.

A unified basketball team is one that integrates players with and without intellectual disabilities. It helps the players learn about people with varying abilities and build friendships that they might not otherwise build. Basketball is just one of the areas where Garrett expresses his kindness towards his fellow teammates. He also volunteers weekly at Purdy Elementary School.

“I wanted to get some volunteer hours in and searched for something I would really enjoy,” Garrett said. “Our family friend is a teacher at Purdy, so I started volunteering in her classroom. It’s so fun to go back to my elementary school and help the kids. They are so excited when I show up and always have lots of questions about being a teenager and what high school is like.”

Volunteering, choosing to work and play with kids younger than he is, kids different than he is, and his dedication to basketball are already enough to make a college application shine. But for Garrett, there’s more. He’s not just an athlete – he also excels academically. “I participate on the Peninsula Knowledge Bowl Team,” Garrett told us. “We compete with other schools in the area (kind of like Trivia Night). My specialty areas are sports and geography.”

In the Spring 2024, Garrett started working in the bag room at Canterwood. “I enjoy meeting the members and hearing about their rounds of golf,” he said. The bag room attendant or golf bag attendant is a role that is important to the overall experience of players on a golf course. The “bag room” itself is where the golfers store their equipment before and after their rounds.

You might think this is already a full plate – there’s more! Garrett is full of surprises. His interests are wide ranging, and his talents equally so. He also enjoys cooking. “I’ve taken a few cooking classes at school and am good in the kitchen,” he said. “I’ve cooked for my family and something they all love is my salmon.” Salmon, of course, being a much beloved staple in the Pacific Northwest. We’ve asked Garrett to share his salmon recipe, which you will find in the following pages.

We wish Garrett all the best in his pursuits during his senior year. We know he will be an asset to the lucky college he chooses for the next step of his already impressive journey.