Growing up in Southern California, I never imagined that I would one day stand atop the world’s highest mountains, let alone become the first U.S. woman to summit all 14 of them. This dream often felt like a story confined to the pages of books—distant from my sea-level beginnings, where I frequently heard, “girls don’t surf,” and was discouraged from pursuing athletics.

After high school, I moved to Breckenridge, Colorado, planning to take a gap year before attending college at UCLA. During this time, I worked delivering pizzas, cleaning houses, and trying my hand at competitive mogul skiing. Once I experienced life in the mountains, I was captivated by their rugged beauty and challenges, realizing I could not return to California. Instead, I chose to study biology at The Colorado College.

The mountains imparted a crucial lesson: obstacles are temporary, and adversity is essential for growth. I began hiking Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks and soon progressed to learning glacier skills while climbing on Mount Rainier, Alaska and in Peru. It was during this transformative period that I discovered my calling to help others as a physician.