The Journey of Learning, Friendships, and Climbing to New Heights — The AWE Summit Scholarship Foundation

This adventure took months of meticulous planning and behind-the-scenes work. Looking back, I feel immense gratitude for the support from the Summit Scholarship Foundation. From the moment the announcement was made, they were by my side—helping with visa documents, offering encouragement when things got tough, and cheering me on through social media as the departure date approached.

While I was thrilled to be part of this trip, I initially worried about the finer details—especially whether my gear would be sufficient. It was a huge relief when so many brands came on board to provide the necessary equipment. Mountaineering gear doesn’t come cheap, and the sponsorship saved me a lot of costs. Without their support, the few items I still had to rent would have been a bigger financial burden.

I owe deep thanks to these generous brands. (Editor’s Note: Thank you to our gear sponsors, including Nite Ize, LOWA Boots, USA drugs, Deer, Expedition, Fjällräven, C.A.M.P., Scratch labs, Julbo, Smith Optics, Petzland Kula cloth.)

My preparation involved attending AWExpedition’s Prep School Aconcaguawhere I learned invaluable tips on mountaineering that I felt would serve me well in future expeditions. The Prep School also greatly eased my nerves, preparing me for the challenges ahead.

From the beginning, I knew this climb wasn’t just a personal achievement. Many people climbed with me in spirit, and I hoped to do my best. Although reaching the summit featured prominently among my goals for this trip, the experience was about so much more.

I gained new skills and confidence—learning how to navigate a glacier, put on crampons, tie knots like figure 8 and fisherman’s, and expand my mountaineering vocabulary—I can now lean into the notion of considering myself a mountaineer!

Trekking through landscapes that seemed straight out of a movie, I eventually stood at the summit of my first glaciated peak—Nevada Ishinca.

While I had hoped to reach the second peak, Tocllaraju—which would have been my highest summit yet—we were ultimately unable to make our summit bid. From health scares to the peak being shrouded in fog on summit day, in hindsight, it seems this summit wasn’t meant to be—at least not this time.