2006 LHHS grads Megan O’Neal and Morgan Muller
Morgan Muller’s first mountain climb was during her sophomore year at Lake Highlands High School. Her most ambitious to date was a 13,000-foot climb with the Young Life Wilderness Camp. That’s high, but still a far cry from the 17,500-plus-foot Himalayan peaks she aims to scale this month in the name of charity. “I am nervous about the strenuous altitudes,” she says. Nevertheless, the 2006 LHHS grad, who earned her degree from University of Southern California in 2010 and got a job at KPMG in New York City, will this month tackle the Peaks Foundation Himalaya 2012 Challenge, comprising three climbs in Nepal to raise funds for three of the country’s charities: A Small World, which provides water and sanitation to rural villages; Classrooms in the Clouds, which builds schools and provides teachers and dZi Foundation, which advances health and education in remote areas. Muller has exceeded her fundraising goal of $5,000. She views the challenge as not only a physical journey, but also a spiritual trek. “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,” she says. “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.”
Learn more about Muller’s adventure or make a donation to the project at firstgiving.com/fundraiser/morganmuller.
