by Connor Griffen, Raise The Roof For Autism - Mt. Kilimanjaro, Student Participant
Trekking up Mount Kilimanjaro in January 2017 gave me an unforeseen opportunity to showcase how, regardless of your ability, you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. I had been wanting to visit the continent of Africa since I was in kindergarten; never would I have guessed that I would eventually wind up climbing the continent's tallest mountain. Brad McGarry, apart from being an astounding mentor, was additionally a strong motivator. I owe it to him for showing me how to test my strengths and weaknesses while scaling Africa's tallest mountain.
Shira 1 Camp, part of the Shira Plateau, was as far as my colleagues and I made it up the mountain, during our 3-day hike. We might not have made it all the way to the peak of Kilimanjaro like Brad did; however, I felt as though this was the biggest feat I ever achieved in my life. From the time I was about 4-years-old, all the way up through the time I graduated high school, medical professionals and schools had been skeptical about how far I would go in the world. I feel that climbing Kilimanjaro, followed by earning my Bachelor's Degree, made me realize: You can achieve anything you set your mind to, no matter what stands in your way.