Isabelle, one of our 2024 Summit Scholarship recipients, is a budding mountaineer who is ready to connect with a community of like-minded and motivated climbers. It all started with an impromptu summit of Mount Kilimanjaro and a fond appreciation for the simplicity of life on the mountain. Isabelle relished the moments to connect with locals from Tanzania as well as climbers from all over the world, she stood in awe of the various ecosystems as she ascended the mountain, and she gained strength through her team as they took on challenges together. As Isabelle shares, “I was hooked.”  But ..read more

Carly, a 2024 Summit Scholarship recipient, hails from Seattle, Washington, where she studies at the University of Washington. Last summer, Carly honored her late father by signing up for a team climb on the ionic Mount Rainier. After scraping together enough money to join a guided expedition, Carly (much to her surprise) was placed on a team comprised of only male guides and climbers. After successfully summiting Rainier, Carly walked away with an unshakable and deepened love for mountaineering and independently pushing her limits, which Carly has been doing since she first loaded up a heavy ..read more

This year, each and every applicant, supporter, and sponsor showed up for the AWE Summit Scholarship Foundation. In 2024, we saw nearly 700 applications from fifty-one different countries representing adventurers from ages 15 to 71 years old. So this March, when the AWE Summit Scholarship Foundation sat down to select only 13 scholarship recipients, we were faced once again with the equally exciting and gut-wrenching task of reviewing all of your strong and compelling words.  There is no doubt that everyone who applied is deserving of this scholarship and we want all of you to know how mu ..read more

In the highlands of Kenya, amidst the vibrant rhythms of Nairobi, Maggy's love for the mountains blossomed. From the rolling hills of her homeland to the towering peaks of Mount Kilimanjaro, her journey as a mountaineer has been one of passion, perseverance, and breaking boundaries. Now, as she reflects on her experience with the Australian Alpine Academy's all-women expedition to Mount Kosciuszko, Maggy's story echoes the transformative power of adventure and friendship in the backcountry. A Quest for Alpine Adventure and Empowerment Maggy's thirst for adventure led her to dream of scaling he ..read more

In the heart of the Pacific Northwest stands the 10,786-foot summit of Komo Kulshan, or Mount Baker. This awe-inspiring peak is a challenge for even the most seasoned mountaineers. However daunting, this mountain became a classroom for Ava, one of our inaugural youth participants with the Summit Scholarship Foundation. As Ava climbed, an unforgettable journey unfolded alongside peers and fellow women mountaineers.  Empowerment in the Company of Women As Ava laced up her new mountaineering boots, she thought of all the things she hoped to learn: backpacking skills, mountaineering skills, a ..read more

It’s hard to not get excited about the thought of a free trip. Yet to write a Summit Scholarship application that stands out, we encourage you to go a step beyond expressing your enthusiasm about the idea of getting to climb Kilimanjaro, or Mount Baker, or Kosciuszko, free of charge.  When we review Summit Scholarship applications, we look for individuals who show alignment with the mission of the Summit Scholarship Foundation.  We think about the transformative potential that an expedition could have for the scholarship recipient. And, last but not least, we look for candidates with ..read more

or: the Importance of Supporting Marginalized Genders in Outdoor Pursuits Welcome to the Summit Scholarship Foundation – now a certified 501(c)(3)! Since we obtained our non-profit status, we have been hard at work and are thrilled to announce our gender equity mission and vision to you. This direction has come from many hours of intensive work, learning, and thought on how to serve our community best. To all of you reading this, we thank you for your ongoing support.  The Summit Scholarship Foundation mission: The Summit Scholarship Foundation 501(c)(3) exists to break down barriers to e ..read more

When Savannah travels to Tanzania with AWExpeditions, the sight of Kilimanjaro may very well feel like an old familiar friend. Savannah lived in Kenya when she was eleven years old, across the Tanzanian border from Kilimanjaro’s proud snow-capped summit. Returning to Africa and attempting to summit Kilimanjaro will hold special meaning for this young woman - read on to get to know Savannah and learn why she is one of AWE’s four Summit Scholarship recipients in 2020. Savannah Cuthbertson, 24, Cedar City (Utah) AWE: What do you do for work/school?   I have been working as a lead guide ..read more

“… not just the privileged few.” These words sum up the spirit of Samantha (Sam) Moore, one of our 2020 Summit Scholarship recipients to climb Kilimanjaro. With her writing, Sam echoes what the Summit Scholarship is all about: it is about breaking down barriers, and supporting candidates with a powerful story who demonstrate a credible financial need in addition to alignment with AWE’s mission and values. Here’s the thing: Sam is a white woman. She is from the UK. She is highly educated. And she is building a medical career as an anaesthetic and critical care doctor. By many observers’ snap ju ..read more

We are proud to introduce the 4th of our 2020 Summit Scholarship recipients: Humaira Falkenberg. Humaira has an extraordinary passion for elevating women of color in the outdoors, which is deeply rooted in her personal life story. Humaira, like AWE, aims to break down barriers and increase women’s access to the outdoors. She is older than the rest of our 2020 scholarship recipients, has a long and storied history with pushing herself in the mountains, and is committed to paying it forward. As you read on to get to know Humaira, you’ll understand why she is such a tremendous match for the Summi ..read more