Profile: Garrewt Chapman

Garrett Chapman is a freshman at the University of Maine Orono and is currently working on getting his business degree. Garrett is an avid surfer, one of many in his family, and also participates in the rarer form of the sport: winter surfing. When asked about surfing in below freezing temperatures he had this to say,"It takes a lot of passion and dedication to surf when you can feel frost building up on your eyelids, but I love it and wont stop." Having learned to surf from his father Gary Chapman, a former professional who was sponsored by Oakley, at the young age of 8 has formed a close bond between father and son. As a Native American Garrett has a great sense of pride for his heritage and is taking the Native American studies course offered by the University. As a business major Garrett has plans to one day own a car customization garage in Hawaii, "My goal is to customize cars, installing audio components, and minor mechanical modifications as well. I would sit down with customers and discuss what they would like done to their car and together we will brainstorm to come up with something creative and unique." Since owning his first car at 16, Garrett's hobby of working on his Civic turned into a passion as his friends would pay him to install sound systems and work on their vehicles. Garrett also has a strong passion for animals, claiming he even thought about becoming a veterinarian. "When I was younger I had a golden retriever and was very close to him; however, he developed cancer and we had to put him down. It was a very rough experience for me, and I would love to be able to help animals."