Leaving windsurfing behind and headed for Princeton for four years was obviously a major decision in Graham’s life. But the chance to attend the sixth highest rated university in the world was obviously an opportunity too good to miss.
GE “My father left the decision up to me. He sat me down and said: “Don’t do what you think I want you to do. Don’t do what you think other people want you to do. You have to find what you want and do that, no matter what it is.”
I wanted to go to college. And from my high school, everyone goes to college, so it would have been weird to be the only one to stay on Maui. During my final year of high school, I decided that if I didn’t get into one of my first choice schools, I would take the year just to windsurf and reapply the following year. Princeton was by far my first choice. After I was accepted, I planned to defer my enrolment for a year so that I could train and compete on the PWA tour without any other distractions. But then I met a European girl who was also just accepted to Princeton. We met up that summer, I fell in love, and I headed to Princeton that fall. We have long since broken up, but I’m forever happy to have gone to school right away. I graduated at 21, free to go back to windsurfing full-time but with a host of new friends and a life-changing experience. Princeton was a tough four years, but I emerged with a degree and many life-long friends. I did not start with English. I originally was studying economics. I made a late switch so my education was a bit two faced. My first two years were heavy economics but then I switched to two years of very concentrated literature. I passed everything so was pretty pleased when I graduated!”