AWExpeditions Summit Scholarship Celebrates Its 3rd Birthday | by Sunny Stroeer

Three years ago, something amazing started: the AWExpeditions Summit Scholarship

Thanks to the support and vision of brands like LOWA, we were able to create an all-female mountaineering scholarship program that catalyzes big mountain dreams for womxn from all walks of life. Because let’s face it: mountaineering adventures are a luxury, but they also have the potential to be hugely transformative for those individuals who get to embark on them.

That was the initial drive behind the creation of the Summit Scholarship back in 2019: to open up life-affirming, transformative adventure experiences to womxn who otherwise would not be in a position to pursue these types of adventures, be it because of financial or other barriers.

Marisa one of our 2021 Summit Scholarship recipients, captures it well:

“If -- as I was -- you’re homeless, working a minimum-wage job, managing your mental illnesses while lacking social and community support, you’re not going to say, “Tomorrow on my one day off I’m going to go train on this mountain.” That just doesn’t make sense. You’re probably going to be focusing all your energy on fulfilling your basic human needs like shelter and food. You’re not going to be going out and camping in a tent, because your regular life already feels like survival."

We at AWExpeditions consider ourselves lucky to be able to play a role in making big mountain dreams more accessible to womxn from all different backgrounds. Since 2019, we’ve been able to fund mountaineering scholarships to Island Peak in Nepal and Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, as well as glacier courses on Mt Shasta and Mt Baker in the US. The goal of each scholarship goes far beyond climbing a mountain: it’s about confidence, identity and belonging.

 Farah another one of our 2021 Summit Scholarship recipients, took away the following from her scholarship climb of Mt Baker:

“I belong. In a space that can feel so intimidating and where I am constantly questioning my skills and experiences or whether or not I am good enough or “tough” enough to be outside, I belong. People who look like me belong and so do many other underrepresented individuals that have been systemically excluded from outdoors spaces."

This is what the Summit Scholarship is all about, and we can’t wait to see what the future will have in store: with the help of LOWA Boots and other brands who share AWE’s values of empowerment and inclusion, we’re hoping to make 2022 our biggest scholarship program yet. Learn more at  www.summitscholarship.org  and make sure to sign up for our newsletter if you’d like to stay in the loop!

Photos courtesy of Sunny Stroeer.