My name is Suzannah Bacon. I'm a 16 year-old elite climber, going into my junior year of high school. My application was recently accepted for The Climbing Academy, which is a private high school that travels to an international climbing destination for each quarter of the school year and is specifically for high level climbers. This coming year the school will be spending each quarter respectively in South Africa, Greece, Spain, and Australia.

Over the last few years it's become increasingly hard for me to balance my training, especially because of my commute to the gym which is nearly two hours each way, with school and a fulfilling social life. This past year I've really fallen in love with outdoor climbing and I'm hoping to take every opportunity I can to explore that more, as my years on the youth competition circuit come to an end after I compete at National Championships in a couple weeks. I can't express how special climbing is to me and I'm extremely grateful for everything this sport has given me. The past seven years have brought me so much joy and led to so much growth as both a person and an athlete. I can't wait to see where I might be able to go with this new chapter and the experiences and growth it will bring me.

When I found out about TCA it felt like an opportunity to experience all the things I've been struggling to balance in one place mixed with the incredible opportunity to travel to places that would give me perspective on other cultures and ways of life outside of my own. Attending this school is a way that I could explore the world through doing what I love. The possibility that I could fully delve into outdoor climbing while receiving a strong education with a cohort of like-minded kids who are as invested in climbing as I am would be so special.

Im so, so, stoked and grateful for this opportunity, and while I received a generous merit scholarship from the school, unfortunately my family is unable to pay the full remainder of the tuition and airfare costs that are necessary for me to attend for this upcoming school year. It would mean so much to me if you all would help make this a reality!