The Mountaineers
Each week we bring you a personal story from one of our members. For our member profile this week we talked to..
Name Sissel Wang
Hometown Akron, OH
Member Since June 2024
Occupation Clinical Pharmacist
Favorite Activities I love anything that gets me outside and moving: hiking, climbing, kayaking, backpacking, and biking! Being outside is always a healing journey for me and helps shift my perspective when life gets stressful.
10 Essential Questions:
What first brought you to The Mountaineers?
I moved to Seattle in 2019 right before graduating from pharmacy school and knew absolutely no one! My heart has always been in the mountains and the water, but building a community from scratch is tough. The extent of my outdoorsy-ness was hiking in national parks, some biking, and gym climbing. Even though I was having fun hiking around Washington and had joined a climbing gym, I still felt that I was missing out on bigger adventures. A friend recommended The Mountaineers to me and lo and behold, it was exactly what I was looking for. I snagged the last spot in the sport climbing class (and am now a second year student in the Basic Alpine Climbing course) and the rest is history!
Why do you like getting outside with us?
I love that everyone is here to support each other. With each trip, I meet a new group of strong, amazing people and learn from a wide array of instructors and leaders. I've also enjoyed being able to come back as an instructor for sport climbing to meet new people and stay up to date on those hard-earned skills.
What's your favorite Mountaineers memory?
All of my Basic Alpine Climbing SIG friends and I painting our nails around the campfire in Vantage. Our nails were beautiful and glittery all weekend!
Who/What inspires you?
My dad is my main inspiration because he's the epitome of resilience and perseverance. He grew up in Taiwan and immigrated over here in the 90s to pursue higher education. While he was in graduate school, he was found to have a brain tumor on his spine. He went through two surgeries and finished school with a PhD in mechanical engineering, then went on to build a family and a life in Ohio. He always made time to take me and my brother to whatever school activities we got into, he supported me when I wanted to be a band nerd, he taught me how to play tennis without ever playing tennis himself, and so on. He taught me to be headstrong, challenge myself, and never waver - always give 110%, right? When I got bad grades or doubted myself, he always helped me pick up the pieces and reassured me that we could come up with a backup plan. Everything I know and everything I do is a result of his strength and guidance.
What does adventure mean to you?
Adventure is anything that gets my heart racing. A little tachycardia never hurt anybody (just kidding!). Any time I get to mentally and physically challenge myself, I would call that an adventure.
Lightning round
Sunrise or sunset? Sunrise
Smile or game face? Game face
What’s your 11th essential? Sour Patch Kids!
What's your happy place? Floating in a body of turquoise blue water. I could be in a kayak or on a boat, but it is not a requirement. I've been described as a water baby.
Post-adventure meal of choice? The fries from Alpen Village Drive-In (Sultan, WA) or Korean BBQ
NOMINATE YOURSELF FOR MOUNTAINEER OF THE WEEK
Mountaineers come in all shapes and sizes, varying widely in age, outdoor experience, and length of time involved in The Mountaineers. Part of what makes our community so unique is the broad diversity of our membership, and we hope these weekly features highlight who we are and why our community plays an important part in feeling belonging in the outdoors. We are always seeking self-nominations for our Mountaineer of the Week, and we invite you to share your story. Trust us, we want to hear from you!
Want to nominate a friend? Email Bayley Stejer to make a recommendation.
This article originally appeared in our 2026: Issue 1 of Mountaineer magazine. To view the original article in magazine form and read more stories from our publication, visit our magazine archive.
