As Stanford's student-athletes have departed campus for home, it's time to get to know the members of the sailing team. Today's edition features Jacob Rosenberg.
How did you get your start with sailing?
I grew up in a sailing family with both of my parents being sailors who took me out on big boats with them since I was a couple months old. I took my first sailing lessons at the age of 6 out of my home yacht club, Alamitos Bay Yacht Club.
What did competing on the sailing team at Stanford mean to you?
Competing on the sailing team at Stanford was a true honor for me. Growing up, Stanford had always been my dream school so to finally attend the school and have the opportunity to represent Stanford while competing in the sport that I loved was an amazing experience. Beyond the actual sailing and competing, my teammates were what made the experience so great. Making lifelong friends and being able to get on the water to have fun sailing with them is what it's all about.
Do you plan to continue sailing after graduation? Any post-graduate plans?
Yes, I plan to continue sailing when I can after graduation, certainly continuing to do Team Race regattas like the US Team Race Nationals or Team Race Midwinters, which are always full of Alumni and current collegiate teams. My only post-graduate plans at this point is to continue building my startup, Tajima Direct, that I had been incubating at Stanford over the last year. Tajima-Direct.com is an e-commerce, direct-to-consumer company, providing high quality polarized replacement lenses that can be custom cut for any frame for a fraction of the cost of a new pair. Prescription lenses too!
Favorite memory on the team?
My favorite memory on the team was in my senior year fall winning the College Match Race Nationals. I'm so thankful for that event especially now because it turned out to be the last College Nationals I would be able to compete in so I'm truly stoked we were able to come away with the win especially with the awesome group of people we had onboard.
What are you currently doing away from campus?
I am currently back home in Huntington Beach, California. I finished my Management Science & Engineering degree in the winter so I've been working full time on my company, Tajima Direct, while staying active by surfing and kite surfing every day.
How has your Stanford experience helped you manage the COVID-19 outbreak?
My Stanford experience certainly taught me how to adapt and make the most of the cards we're dealt, which has been so applicable during this COVID-19 situation. I was pretty excited for my plan to not take any classes in the spring and just to focus on sailing and working on my company, but when it all came crashing down, it became clear that there was nothing I could do to bring it back so I had to look forward and figure out how to make the most of the current situation. For me, that meant moving up my timeline by four months and jumping in directly to going full time on Tajima Direct.