Happy Graduation, Dr. McGreivy!

A collection of messages from your friends and family. 🙂

Kayla

Nick,

Congratulations!! I have only ever known you as a PhD student, so it’s hard to believe this period of your life is coming to a close. I type this as we wrap up our time in New York City, in the wake of some very hectic days (packing, moving, reunions, graduation). I’ve seen how hard you’ve worked over these past few years on a wide range of topics and admire how intellectually dedicated you are. I can’t wait to hear all about your next adventure in Nicaragua and El Salvador.

In the past week, I’ve put together some congratulatory messages from your friends and family, included below. Some of them have even generously donated to your surfboard fund. I hope these messages remind you how loved and appreciated you are. We are all so proud!

Kayla

Katherine

Wow Nick it’s been quite a seven years! I remember moving you into the Graduate College, which has got to be the coolest graduate housing ever, and meeting your amazingly interesting group of international friends. Going to the Dbar and doing shot skis! And then getting you set up with a little scooter after your knee surgery so you could zip around campus! And then of course the pandemic hit and off you were to Hawaii which worried me to no end, bit ended up being a really brilliant recision which introduced you to your new passion—surfing. And getting to visit you out there and do some amazing hikes! And now your years in New York—moving you in with all the furniture strapped to our truck like the Beverly Hillbillies! Our super fun weekend going to see The Book of Mormon. And through all of it you were still working at your PhD, publishing papers and challenging the orthodoxy! I couldn’t be more proud of you and I know your Dad would be so incredibly proud as well. Can’t wait to see what’s next. In the words of your Dad, “Future’s so bright, you got to wear shades!” Love you so much, Mom

Jon

Nick,

It is impossible to describe the pride a parent experiences when their child accomplishes a long desired goal. Sitting here at your hooding ceremony I feel so good for you and proud of your success. Even more, I wear, once more, one of your father’s shirts to represent his important place in your life. There is no doubt his pride in you for your accomplishment would be beaming from his face this weekend. You are an amazing young man. I know, in the years to come, you will grow into your true calling. Your efforts are sure to make the world a better place, whether in small or large ways. And someday, perhaps you will be sitting in my chair celebrating the wonderful successes of your own child. Congratulations on a job well done and deepest wishes for joy and fulfillment in the years to come. I love you and am so proud of you, Nick.

Jon

Luke

Nick it only seems like yesterday when we were with you seeing Penn for the first time. I can’t believe where the years go. You have worked beyond hard for this and you deserve it so much. Congratulations and you know your brothers will always love you!

Kyia

I’m so proud of you Nick! I’ve been watching you work your ass off since day 1 and I am so glad to see it all pay off! Sending you nothing but love and best wishes! Kyia

James

Congratulations Nick and im so proud of you! I still remember conversations we’d have over family dinners back when I was in elementary school about quarks and black holes and various physics topics. My career in physics has always followed closely in your footsteps, and Im so proud that you saw your PhD through to the end — especially now that im coming to see first hand just how brutally difficult a PhD can be. I love you so much and i know that dad would have been thrilled to see all that you’ve achieved.

Sasha

Congratulations on earning your Phd! When I met James, the first member of his family he talked about was you. He shared how much he admires you thoughtful responses, your book recommendations, and how your passion for physics inspired him when he was younger. As the oldest sister myself, I hope that my younger siblings will speak of me in the same manner and consider me as cool. Enjoy your time traveling and good luck with everything! -Sasha

Matt Bradley

Hey Grandson, you did it! Your Ph.D.! Having done it myself, I know how hard it was at times, but also how rewarding the intellectual challenges and the comradery can be. I bet you’ll look back on your grad student days as among the best in your life.

You have a bright future ahead of you. I’m sure you will make the most of it. Just watch out for the sharks!

Love,
Grandad

Grandma Lynne

We were all excited when Nick was born, since he was the only child in the Bradley family since Katherine. We all lived close then, so we saw Nick alot. While we didn’t know he’d turn out to be a physicist, we could see his passion to figure out how the world works. We bought him large Legos which he would put together in an afternoon. He also had a fascination for large construction equipment and how they worked. Now I see how his passions as a child have been transferred into his adult passion of figuring out how plasma physics and the universe work. Congratulations, Nick, on earning your Ph.D in physics!!! It’s quite an accomplishment.

Love, Grandma Lynne

Claire

Congratulations on your graduation, Nick! What an accomplishment! Have the best time in Central America and enjoy the water. Hope to see you soon!

Mona

Dear Nick, needless to say, I’m bursting with pride in your success in Academia, but even more so in the kind and loving man you have become. I wish you much happiness and joy in wherever life takes you. I love ❤️ you and I’m so blessed to have you in my life.

Love, ❤️ Mona 🥰

Jesse

Congratulations Nick!! So proud of you. This is a huge accomplishment. Wish I understood physicists better so that we could get into great discussions about the laws of the universe. Love you infinity, forever! Uncle Jesse

Aunt Kim

Big Congratulations, Nick!!!!

Adrian

Congratulations Nick. I’m so proud of you and happy to see all of your hard work paying off. I hope to see you soon and love you

Adrian

August

Maddie

Congratulations Nick! All the best in your future endeavors and have an amazing trip surfing! -Maddie

Thomas Horton

Congratulations Nick! I know the past few years have been a lot of work and I’m excited to see what comes next! Enjoy the trips to Nicaragua and Europe!

Will Hurd

Nick – congratulations man. Truly blown away (but not surprised in the slightest).

I can remember it like it was yesterday that I’d stroll down the street to your house every few days during the school week so you could tutor your (1 year older) neighbor in some Algebra. Not only were you able to help me through the problems, but you were also able to describe to me how they fit into real world examples. I would describe my knowledge of math to you as a spotted circle, and you quite literally helped me connect the dots.

It’s funny that Kayla messaged me today, because I was quite literally thinking about you this morning re-reading my Instagram bio “Maximize the area under the curve”, another part of my life you get credit for. Using the X axis as time, and the Y axis as happiness, you explained to me that living the “fullest” life is figuring out the right equation to “maximize the area under the curve.” That stuck with me 10-15 years ago, and clearly, still has.

I truly have always looked up to you man. Your work ethic, your drive, your morals. Ever since Thai passed, before, and beyond, you have been a REMARKABLE son, brother, and friend. Your strength and maturity at some a young age made you wise beyond your years, and you used that strength to lift others up – friends and family.

I love you so much man and you will always be a special part of my life. Congrats again on the PhD, you absolute legend, I cannot wait to see where life takes you next.

Oh and PS – happy birthday. 😉

Love you!!! – Will

Elena Glen

Congratulations on a job well done! Completing a PhD is not an easy feat. It takes patience, growth, self awareness, and extreme perseverance. I hope you’re proud of your work because you should be! It has been fun to watch your journey from afar. Don’t forget that we were in the same first grade class together… and now you are a leading expert in fusion and machine learning! I am so happy for you, and know that your life will open up beautifully in front of you. Always keep your adventurous spirit.

-Elena

Sean Cohen

Congrats on graduating Nick! Since our time in Mr. Jacob’s class, you’ve been an inspiration for me in how to approach learning and thought. I love how bold you are with your ideas, and I hope you know you’ve been a big part in me being less afraid to chase my own ideas. Enjoy the surf trip 🙂

Joseph Cesare

Congratulations Nick on graduating! I remember a conversation we once had outside the Hillel building at Penn about pursuing a PhD in Plasma Physics or teaching as a high school physics teacher much like the one who had inspired you. I invoked the movie Good Will Hunting in my advice and with your graduation, it is one of many memories that come to mind. Through all the adventures we’ve shared and discussions we’ve had, I want to say I’m grateful to have you in my life and I’m proud of you. I am excited to see what this next chapter in life will bring.

Jose

congrats on the phd! Looking forward to seeing/hearing the amazing things you continue to get up to!

Anna

Dr. Nick! Congratulations on earning your PhD and moving onto your next chapter of life. I know you’ll have an incredible time this summer catching some ~gnarly~ waves. Please be safe and take care of your precious knee(s). Thanks for all of your support the past couple months. I’m thankful for the commiseration and comfort in knowing what lies ahead for me. I’m excited to see what lies ahead for you! Whatever it is, I hope everyone puts some respect on your name 🙂

Riad

Congrats my man!

I remember distinctly the day I met you in Econ recitation as freshmen, 10 years ago now. I remember thinking how strong your conceptual thinking was, and also how handsome you were 🤪 Since then, after helping me with some petty Econ questions, our friendship grew. You were the first friend I came out to, you offered me a spot in what became our upperclassmen dorm, you welcomed me in your home, and allowed for a wonderful friendship. You’re someone I always trust, admire, look up to. I’m so proud of you, and can’t wait for what’s to come.

Continue following your passions. Love you brother.

Adam

Hi Nick! Congratulations on the completion of your PhD defense! What a milestone! You can now retire and spend the rest of your life surfing… 🏄🏻‍♂️ Wishing you all the best in your future. Put that mind to good use and help tip the world balance away from nuclear disaster! 🚀 To good things 🙂 🙏🏼

Yanni

Dr McGreivy,

Congrats on being the first Princeton phycisist in history to complete his doctorate predominantly from Hawaii. Perhaps it would have been wiser to accept your offers from those California schools, but we all know it wasn’t wisdom that got you where you are today -it was your joy for life. I would say I am proud of you, but I have been proud since the first week we met when you had the ingenuity to make a decent sensor out of a couple of basic spare parts from Detkin. Obviously, as Rahul would say, now you are officially a superstar. All I ask for is that you put this knowledge and expertise to good use and work on truly meaningful problems. So… start a crypto hedge fund or something. I wish you all the best, bud. I hope whatever you do next lets you indulge your Surfer, Dude proclivities once in a while.

(The pic is me symbolically -and literally, looking up to you because proud)

😘

Amar

Congratulations on graduating, Gravy! Hope you have the best time on your surf trip – can’t wait to hear about it. And hope you come back to NYC 🙂

Regina

Congratulations to the DOCTOR! So incredibly in awe of all the hard work you’ve done and how freaking smart you are– totally cannot wait to see your handprint on the world. Whether it’s your kindness, hard work or joy of life it’s going to be an amazing journey. Huge huge congrats on this AMAZING accomplishment, now the world will know how brilliant you are just by your name. Thank you always for your incredible friendship, you are one of the rare souls in this big world full of so much light. You made Princeton so much brighter for me and everyone you crossed paths with and now the world will know too. Thank you for your contribution to the pursuit of knowledge and your excellence in doing so— we need more big brains and your light shines so so brightly. Cheers always– never be a stranger, so proud and in awe of you. Cheers to Doctor Nick!

Tom

Dear Greibs,

I feel incredibly lucky that I ran into you right at the start of our time at Princeton – the most ridiculous laughs and the deepest conversations. Outlier statistic: an incredible number of friends-through-a-friend. I admire you in many ways, but I know no one else who is as much of a magnet for great people as you are – that really says it all.

I could write you a novel, but you don’t like reading novels (and I know we’ll talk soon), instead – a collection of excellent and terrible pictures.

Love you lots! X, Tom

Saadia

Nick, congratulations on such an amazing milestone and now we can officially start calling you Dr. McGreivy. I am so glad that I met you on our first week on campus because it significantly shaped my graduate school experience and I am so grateful for our friendship. Cheers to you and I will never forget how we called your room in the OGC N Bar. Best of luck on your year off 💕

Connor Way

Congrats on this huge milestone, Nick!!! One thing I admire about you is the way you keep all the elements of your life in balance. You have excelled in your work as a physicist, persevering all the way to a PhD, yet you make time in your life for important relationships and meaningful habits and passions like surfing and travel. The way you navigated your time in grad school, particularly in the pandemic, honestly inspired me. Congrats on graduating and enjoy catching your next wave (literally and metaphorically) — Cheers!! (And here is our most recent and least recent pic, lol).

Rachel Yee

Nick “Cool Grad” McGreivy. You absolutely made a massive impression from the first time we met. I remember I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to organize the First Day of School bagel handouts and was so stressed because the person who was supposed to volunteer for their bagel shift did not show up. You were kind enough to join our USG — emphasis on the “undergrad” squad– and help to greet people, hand out bagels, and make the whole crew feel like they were having a good time. I had not interacted with many grad students outside of my TAs and the GSG exec squad, so it was really cool to meet a new grad student friend organically. I am truly so thankful for our friendship over the years. You are such a thoughtful, kind, interesting person and I appreciate how you challenge me. I appreciate how reliable and loyal you are. One moment that particularly stands out is when I told you that I had an assassin coming after me in Firestone library (as part of Ivy’s assassin game) you immediately said you would come pick me up in your van thinking that it was an actual assassin and that I was in real danger. I appreciate how no questions asked you were and how much of a friend of action you were. I still chuckle at how concerned you were and how I should have absolutely given you a warning that it was part of a silly game without any real danger. One other lightbulb memory that comes to mind is when I started my 50 First Dates experiment post grad. Something you said has really stuck with me even to this day and it is noted in the bottom of my footnotes in page 11 of my “2020 Framework for Evaluating Relationship Fit” document. You told me that I needed to “go in with an open heart and be open to getting hurt or else I would never fully be vulnerable.” I took that to heart over the past 4 years and I am so much better off for it. You talked about not having a scarcity mindset and I also took that to heart. I SO appreciate your candor, authenticity, and how you approach life. Your sense of adventure is inspiring and has pushed me to reexamine what is possible. My life is indubitably better off because you are in it! Congrats Dr. Cool Grad- I can’t wait to see what you do after this!!!

Joe Griffiths-Bloor

Nick, it seems like only yesterday that we met in Vienna, which is a crazy seven years ago. In that time you’ve been a great friend and someone I talk about often to others. There is never a dull conversation concerning Nick, that’s for sure.

Congratulations on completing your PhD (although you should really be doing another year because moving to Hawaii to “work” really didn’t count…). Jokes aside, you have so much to be proud of, and so much to celebrate. I am proud to call you my friend.

I hope to see you this summer.

Your friend, (British) Joe.

Stanley, Annie and Elizabeth Chang

JV

Congratulations, Dr. McGreivy! I sure do miss our hikes – from mid-pandemic Koko Head ascents to hanging by ropes off pali ridges. But I know you’ll be busy with far more consequential endeavors as a leading-scientist-slash-policy-wonk. I hope you’ll find time once in a while to visit us on our favorite archipelago. Very proud of you, my friend.

Please enjoy these photos of emo Stanley from the good ole days and another pic from one of the best hikes we ever did. Looking forward to seeing where you go next! PS. Thanks for the crampons

Ray

Congrats Dr. McGreivy! Best of luck on your journeys ahead, and I look forward to your contributions to this world as a scholarly surfer!

Michelle Ahn

Nick!! You are a superstar, so proud of Dr. McGreivy and all of the things you will accomplish on top of already being a kind, smart, generous human being. Thanks for always being down to lend an ear, give a hug, explain body building, share SPF recommendations and just be the wonderful friend that you are. I will miss you greatly in NYC but so glad to have a lifelong friend amongst MoCo and Oahu. Have so much fun on your surf adventure around the world, congratulations, you did it!!!!

Kallen

Congratulations Nick!

Queenie

Congratulations on defending your PHD Nick! It’s been so fun being able to hang out with you and Kayla this past year. We’ve had some fun moments: my favorite being your Oppenheimer Halloween look! You guys will be missed, have fun in South America Nick, I’ll see you guys soon!

Vivian

congrats dr. Nick!! Big bootay gang nyc edition is now worldwide edition, glad to have met another health freak!!

Matt Yao

Hey Nick! Congrats on successfully defending your thesis and graduating! Wishing you many good waves and fond memories on your upcoming surf travels. As someone who has recently a lot of time wandering in uncertainty, I encourage you to follow your curiosity and have faith in your unfolding journey. 🤙

Iris Feng

“The particulars of new places grabbed me and held me, the sweep of new coasts, cold, lovely, dawns. The world was incomprehensibly large, and there was still so much to see. Yes, I got sick sometimes of being an expatriate, always ignorant, on the outside of things, but I didn’t feel ready for domestic life, for seeing the same people, the same places, thinking more or less the same thoughts, each day. I liked surrendering to the onrush, the uncertainty, the serendipity of the road.”

– Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan

You have a strong tribe behind you as you head into the unknown. I’m stoked for you and what lies ahead. Go for it, my friend!

David Pang

Congrats man! Never a doubt! Especially after hearing you talk in-depth about nuclear something or another for an hour plus on one of our hikes haha. That’s when we all saw your passion for learning and willingness to go deep on a topic Well deserved and hope to see you around soon – enjoy the time off!