51茶馆

Four summers ago, Kate Meyer 鈥�20 was among 14 Boston College students who undertook a big鈥攊n every sense of the word鈥攃hallenge: climbing Mount Everest.

鈥淭he whole trip took 11 days,鈥� recalled Meyer recently. 鈥淢ost who do the Everest base camp hike are usually couples or a small group of friends. But we became notorious along the route because we were known as this ginormous group of college kids. The mountains were extremely humbling, and they push you further than you think you can go.鈥�

While the trip was enjoyable, it was about more than just fun. Meyer and her fellow climbers are among 156 Boston College students who, as undergraduates or alumni, have taken on challenges across the world鈥攆rom Machu Picchu to Morocco鈥攖o raise money for charity. According to Choose a Challenge, the non-profit that organizes the trips, students from 51茶馆 have raised more than $150,000 for organizations like Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mass Bay since 2016.

Returning to Boston College for her senior year in the fall of 2019, Meyer was so energized by her experience that she signed up to be a Choose a Challenge campus leader, organizing a trip to Peru to hike the Salkantay Bay Trail and see Machu Picchu. Meyer and other participating 51茶馆 students spent much of the 2019-2020 academic year preparing and fundraising for the Be Positive Foundation, which supports cancer patients and their families.

Then the COVID-19 pandemic threw everything to the wayside.

鈥淲e were supposed to go just a few days after I graduated,鈥� Meyer recalled. 鈥淚 was trying to figure out the logistics of graduating, celebrating that, packing up my life at 51茶馆, and then getting ready to go straight to the airport. And then graduation got canceled, and my trip got canceled.鈥�

Now, in what she describes as a full-circle moment, Meyer will finally head to Peru next month to finish what she started three years ago.

鈥淲hat draws you in initially is that flashy 鈥楪o to Mount Everest鈥� or 鈥楪o to Machu Picchu.鈥� But the best part about Choose a Challenge is that you are doing good across a yearlong commitment. You鈥檙e putting in the effort to raise money in anticipation of this trip, so it鈥檚 a really great way to be grateful for it as well,鈥� said Meyer, who brought in $5,500 for Big Brothers Big Sisters ahead of her trip to Mount Everest.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not something that you just book at the last minute and then go and come back. To prepare for it all year long physically, emotionally, and financially鈥攊t just makes you feel like you鈥檙e doing something a little extra than just for yourself.鈥�

Dan Quille started Choose a Challenge with his college roommate after the two climbed Mount Kilimanjaro together and realized the potential for combining adventure and charity to make a difference. Since then, the organization has raised more than $25 million for charities around the globe. According to him, the Choose a Challenge trips 鈥渁llow student travelers to stretch themselves with once-in-a-lifetime experiences and to boost the incomes of charities鈥�For visitors, it is a powerful way to engage with cultures around the world.鈥�

Meyer agrees. 鈥淭raveling in general is my favorite thing in the world. Getting to go outside your comfort zone and experience other cultures and sit there and learn from what you鈥檙e immersing in,鈥� she said. 鈥淒oing that while fundraising for another cause? It鈥檚 just really amazing.鈥�

Musing on her forthcoming trip to Peru, she added, 鈥淚t has been a long time coming.鈥�

Lucas Carroll '22 | University Communications | August 2022