Andrew King is one of the most inspiring athletes that I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. Not just because of his physical pursuits, but because of his beautiful mission to create “a positive change for tomorrow” in the communities that surround his climbing destinations.

Andrew’s unique path led him from Detroit, to the suburbs of Georgia, to Hawaii, to college in Maine, to graduate school in Boston, and finally to California. He was raised by his mother until the age of 11 and then by his grandparents who instilled in him a yearning to break through the societal glass ceiling and to inspire others to do the same.

Shortly after graduate school, Andrew began “The Between Worlds Project”, one of whose core value is to “extend a hand or resource to developing communities, individuals, or non-profits, that we pass on our way to explore nature.”

“…King has been driven not to ‘conquer mountains’, but to seek out stories of struggle within the communities he travels while attempting to climb the world’s 14 summits— the seven summits plus the seven tallest volcanoes. He’d be the first African American to reach all 14 summits, but to Kind, that’s not the overall goal.”