In today's paper, Hahn Chang writes about Nick Hesselgrave, a former Marine with a make-your-life-extraordinary attitude:
When he arrived at school for the New Student Orientation Program ... he didn’t think he would be rowing for the Lions. But during orientation week, he ran into women’s rowing head coach, Scott Ramsey, and Ramsey’s friend, Susan Francia, a two-time Olympic gold medal winner.
“She [Francia] told me that she walked onto her rowing team as a sophomore at UPenn, and suddenly I was inspired,” Hesselgrave said.
Hesselgrave successfully tried out for Columbia's crew team, and Chang details his first race.
Chang's reporting uncovered a great deal of information about Hesselgrave's life, much of which we did not publish in the article. Due to the strong interest we’ve received in the article, I’ve organized more information from Chang’s interviews.
1) When Hesselgrave got out of the military, he craved solitude and peace of mind.
"So I bought a motorcycle and lived off the back of it for two months as I toured the country from coast to coast," Hesselgrave says. "This opportunity to consolidate my thoughts and wisdom allowed me to realize that my greatest achievement was a higher appreciation for life and what it has to offer."
