Rachel Fagiano: Rewriting the Narrative
Rachel is a social justice program offer and lives in New York City. She is also our 2022 Summit Scholarship recipient for Aconcagua, made possible by AWExpeditions and LOWA Boots, and an advocate for inclusivity in outdoor spaces. While applying for the Summit Scholarship, Rachel spoke about how she was “often told as a kid that certain activities that my [male] siblings were participating in, were not for me, particularly outdoor adventures” - an experience that we here at the Summit Scholarship Foundation can relate to, and a narrative that we want to change as much as Rachel does.
With that, meet Rachel!
Hi, Rachel. What did you do right after finding out that you received the scholarship?
Honestly?! Cry! I didn't think I would have the opportunity to do something like this in my lifetime and I am so incredibly grateful. Afterwards I went for a long walk on New York City’s open streets to try to process the news.
What excites you most about that particular Summit Scholarship?
Climbing Aconcagua is undoubtedly the realization of a lifelong dream, and this scholarship is probably the only way I would get to see one of the seven summits in person. I don’t think I can currently fully understand how empowering it will be to know that my body is capable of carrying me up a mountain of this magnitude. I am so incredibly thrilled to be attempting this with an all-women team where unspoken narratives around gender and belonging in the outdoors are implicitly understood and folks are invested in building a supportive environment and attempting a big outdoor objective together. This will also be an opportunity for me to really solidify that I am capable of accomplishing exciting outdoor goals and push back against the imposter syndrome that I can feel in the outdoors, rooted in gendered expectations and norms. I am also very excited to share what I learn by training for and attempting to climb Aconcagua with other people in my community, so that they may start to see themselves in big outdoor pursuits.
What do you think is going to be the most challenging aspect of your Summit Scholarship adventure?
Aconcagua is 22,837 feet tall, the second highest of the seven summits. I have never experienced high-altitude of that magnitude before and am coming from sea level in New York City. I am looking forward to training as best I can, but also understand that there is no way to know how that altitude may affect my body until I am living through it. I also don't currently have any mentors in this space and am so looking forward to building a support network of badass women in this sport.
Rachel - we cannot wait to share a once-in-a-lifetime adventure on Aconcagua with you. To follow along, find Rachel on Instagram at @opalis121 or follow our sister organization AWExpeditions on Instagram or Facebook.