42 GEORGIANVIEW 2021 SPRING
GRIzzLY ATHLETICS
"I remember walking into the gym at Georgian's Barrie
Campus for the first time," recalls Rob Gignac, a student
in the college's Sport Administration program. "Growing
up as a sports fan, I had always dreamed of one day
walking into the gym of a college or university. It brought
chills down my spine."
Rob was elected by his student peers to the position
of Vice President Health and Fitness with the Barrie
Campus's Georgian College Students' Association
(GCSA) in 2020, and credits Georgian College with
providing him a life-changing experience. "Being at
Georgian has really pushed me in the direction that I
needed to go in, and the opportunities that have been
afforded to me through my program have far exceeded
my expectations," he says, adding, "being there for the
huge moments, like watching Tyler Vanessen become the
all-time leading scorer for our men's varsity basketball
team has been incredible."
Rob also brought a passion for music and hockey to
Georgian; coaching the men's hockey team to two
tournament wins, and the women's hockey team to two
tournament wins, and helping Georgian reclaim the Frost
Cup from Lakehead University.
Recalling a conversation he had with a retired gentleman
in a coffee shop a few years earlier, he says, "He told me
to go back to school, and while I had heard it from others
in the past, he reminded me that I was a different person
now than before and that I had grown as a person. It was
exactly what I needed to hear at that time."
Rob will graduate from Georgian in 2021, becoming the
first person in his family to complete a postsecondary
education.
FIRST GENERATION GRADUATE
FINDS SUCCESS OFF THE RINK
Rob Gignac, class of 2021
Rob Gignac is photographed with Georgian College Advancement Committee member and Rotary Club of Barrie President Deb DeCaire, while representing Team
Georgian at the Rotary Club's 2020 Wheels for Wellness event (pre-pandemic), supporting local charities and community initiatives.
