Growing up at NC State football games with a family full of alumni, Graham Casey — a graduating business administration senior with a concentration in entrepreneurship and a minor in economics — always felt a strong tie to the Wolfpack.

Despite all the bricks, he loved the campus and the convenience of being close to home. With the opportunity to join the marching band under the leadership of his uncle, Paul Garcia, NC State became Graham’s top choice for college.

Power Sound of the South

There were many aspects of Graham’s college career that were noteworthy. But for Graham, the one thing he loved most was playing the saxophone in the marching band and pep band. The opportunity to perform at Carter Finley, the Lenovo Center and travel with the teams was thrilling. He fondly remembered missing a whole month of school to travel for the 2024 men’s basketball run to the final four.

Later in his college career, Graham joined the Society of Entrepreneurs club, which helped him become more connected with the entrepreneurial community at NC State. “It is a diverse group and a great community for motivation, opportunities and advice,” he said.

A natural-born entrepreneur

Throughout high school, he started multiple side hustles, including a coffee shop, selling computer parts and a car detailing business. Graham realized that he loved being an entrepreneur — starting something from the ground up and growing it all by himself. 

Early on in his undergraduate career, Graham knew he wanted to study entrepreneurship. He knew the entrepreneurship concentration was growing quickly. After completing all the introductory-level concentration courses, he chose the entrepreneurship concentration and never looked back. 

These concentration classes were some of the most influential entrepreneurship offerings at NC State. Working alongside companies in MIE 419 and starting new ventures in MIE 412/413 were incredibly beneficial to Graham’s entrepreneurial mindset. “I was able to learn to use real-world problems from companies other than my own. There are multiple tools I use now in my own business that I have learned through these classes,” he said. 

He also noted that events in the Albright Entrepreneurship Garage were beneficial. “I connected with many other business owners, of whom I was able to ask important questions about the do’s and don’ts of startups,” he said. “Connecting with entrepreneurs like Andy Albright helped me understand how to scale a business from a one-man show to the three-person crew I have now.” 

The best is yet to come

After graduation, Graham plans to continue growing his mobile detailing business, Only The Best Mobile Detailing. Over the last year, his business has started to take off. “If I haven’t been in class, I have been working,” he said. 

Graham is excited for what the near future holds. He plans to utilize his entrepreneurial mindset to identify opportunities and create efficient, scalable solutions for his business. “It allows me to adapt quickly, learn from challenges and continuously improve each day.”

A final reflection

Looking back over his college career, Graham reflected on advice he would give his younger self. “Make good connections with people and grow your network. You never know what similarities you might share with others, or whether they could help you out. 

He stressed the importance of finding a group that you connect strongly with. For Graham, that was the marching band. He emphasized that whatever group you find is a great way to meet new people, make connections and find lifelong friendships. 

Graham also said, “When it comes to classes, go to them.” He promised it was worth it — even the early ones at 8:30 A.M. — to talk to the people around you, make friends and study hard. “Do all of these things, and you will have the best time of your life in college. That is what I did, and I loved doing it at NC State.”