PAST PERFECT

Hello dear teachers

Could the author have written this?
1) After I had graduated, I had not seen her for awhile. When we caught up, I asked her how had she been doing.
Because as you pointed out the refeernce is when we caught up , so all that is before could be explained in past perfect.

but it is true that past perfect is optionnal after after but if we choose to put it , is it to emphazise the graduation.

thanks a lot