Morgan Muller graduated from the University of Southern California in 2010 and is working for KPMG in New York City, but she’s looking for bigger mountains to climb – literally. The LHHS 2006 grad is preparing for the Peaks Foundation Himalaya 2012 Challenge in May, a project that has her climbing three mountains in Nepal to raise money for three Nepalese charities.
The Small World provides clean water and sanitation to rural villages. Classrooms in the Clouds builds schools and provides teachers. dZi Foundation advances education and health in the most remote areas. Morgan’s goal is to raise $5,000 (she’s reached the $3,370 mark as of this writing), but she’d love to exceed that mark.
“I first heard about Peaks Foundation through my coworker, whose sister was a part of the inaugural hike in 2007,” Morgan told me. “As I learned more about how the foundation incorporated volunteer work with a rigorous adventure, I was eager to sign up to participate.”
Morgan’s first climb was with Young Life her sophomore year, and her second climb at Young Life’s Wilderness Camp has been her most ambitious yet at 13,000 feet. With her Himalayan peaks at 17,500 and up, she admits “I’m very nervous about the strenuous altitudes.”
“I hope to get back to the basics” Morgan added. “I’m traveling to an impoverished foreign country without knowing anyone, while pushing myself physically. I hope to refocus on what matters and how I want to spend my own resources, my money, mind and body, to make a difference. I want to discover what I’m capable of and how I can translate that to a sustainable life of giving. Growing up, so many of our school activities incorporated community service as a requirement, which is an excellent foundation for demonstrating its importance. I want it to now be my choice and way of life.”
If you’d like to learn more about Morgan’s adventure and/or make a donation to her project, click here.
