Being the first African American to summit Mount Everest, Sophia Danenberg is often asked: Was it everything you dreamed of and hoped for? Her answer may be surprising as she talks about how our hopes and dreams may in fact be limiting what we are able to do.
Sophia Danenberg didn't go on her first hike until college, but in 2006 she became the first African-American and the first black woman to climb to the summit of Mount Everest.
Sophia’s love of the mountains has taken her all over the world, from the Matterhorn in Switzerland, to Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, to Ama Dablam in Nepal and to Aconcagua in Argentina.
While at sea level, she leads the international policy analysis program in environment, health and safety (EH&S) at The Boeing Company, advising the corporation on EH&S policy developments and interfacing with global trade associations, governments, the United Nations, OECD, APEC and other intergovernmental organization on behalf of the company and industry.
Prior to launching her career, Sophia was a researcher-writer for a travel guide in Thailand and a Fulbright Fellow in environmental economics at Keio University in Tokyo. She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University in environmental sciences and public policy.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx