Chloe Kim‘s transition to Princeton student life has been difficult, especially in the dining hall, where she notices people staring and taking pictures of her.
“College is OK, I guess,” the 2018 Olympic snowboard halfpipe champion said in a video posted on social media on Friday. “I’m going to fill you in a bit. I don’t think a lot of people understand that I’m a legit student. I’m trying to study. And, like, I would really appreciate it if I had a comfortable space here, I guess, but I don’t.
“As soon as I go to the dining hall, people stare at me. They whisper. They take pictures of me without me knowing. I don’t like it. I don’t think anyone would like if you were just trying to have a meal and you see it. Like, I see that. I see it. I’m a human. It’s been really, really hard to transition, but hopefully it gets better. And if not, then, [sarcastic] yay. So to anyone that’s here at Princeton and sees me at the dining hall or anywhere, please just remember that I’m a human being and I want a true, fun college experience. I would just really appreciate it if everyone respected my privacy and let me live my life. So thank you.”
Kim, 19, announced a month after the Olympics that she was accepted to Princeton but deferred enrollment until this year. She is expected to juggle competing this Olympic cycle with classes.
“I’d love to live just a normal life there, where maybe people don’t recognize me and get to know me not because of what I do, but just because of me,” Kim said in February, according to The New York Times. “Anyone who is going to Princeton next year, just be cool.”
Kim, who in PyeongChang became the youngest Olympic halfpipe gold medalist, extended her dominance last season. She swept the Dew Tour, X Games and world championships before breaking her ankle and taking second at the season-ending Burton U.S. Open.
“Princeton was my dream school before snowboarding took off,” Kim said last winter, according to The Associated Press. “I just liked the name when I was really young and didn’t know about college or anything.”
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