Meet the Fellows
Sally Miller
My name is Sally Miller. I was born and raised in Poolesville Maryland. Maryland is a very non-mountainous state, but it’s not to far from other mountainous states like Pennsylvania, West Virginia and upstate New York. I spent a lot of time skiing in those areas and when I was picking a college to go to I knew that I wanted to get off the east coast and see how good skiing could really get, so I decided to come to school in Utah.
In Utah I’m exposed to mountains so much more than I was back in Maryland and I have discovered a whole new love for them outside of just skiing. I am currently a sophomore at Westminster College and so inspired by the mountains, environment, and outdoors that I am studying environmental studies and outdoor education.
I’m very excited for my Fellowship with the IMR because I cant wait so see what I can learn from it. Studying the mountains and mountain life involves studying cultural, economic, scientific and political facets. Such a wide variance of facets and disciplines will help me gain new perspectives that I normally would be able to. I’m very excited for this opportunity and I can’t wait to see what we accomplish.
Jordan Romero
My name is Jordan Romero and I will be working as a Mountain Fellow for the Institute of Mountain Research for the 2016/17 school year. I grew up skiing, climbing, and learning to be a well-rounded athlete in the mountains of Big Bear Lake, California. At 9 years old, I approached my parents with the idea of climbing the highest point on each continent, both of which were enthusiastic to fully support. After 5 years of grassroots fundraising with community involvement in my hometown, I became the youngest person to climb all Seven Summits at the age of 15 years old as well, as Mount Everest when I was 13 years old. With both of these records still standing today, I have collaborated with two authors and dear friends to publish two books titled, “The Boy Who Conquered Everest” and “No Summit Out of Sight.” As my interests shifted to freeskiing, humanitarian work, environmental sustainability and public speaking to share my stories, I decided to attend Westminster College to seek further support and opportunity to network and push myself further as an athlete. The mountains are where I will always call home and I’m excited to work with IMR to spread my passion for mountain culture amongst students, underprivileged youth, businesses, and organizations.
Naomi Shapiro
Hi! My name Naomi Shapiro. I am a sophomore Public Health major from Boise, Idaho. Growing up in Idaho, I spent much of my childhood outdoors in the surrounding mountains: skiing in the winter, and backpacking through the Sawtooths in the summer. I used to joke that I spent more time at my local ski hill than at home, but in all reality, spending time at high elevations has definitely played a huge role in my life and shaped who I am as a person.
The easy access to world class skiing in the Wasatch was one of the main pull factors in my choice to come to Westminster. And since moving to Salt Lake a year ago, I have not been disappointed. Utah is full of incredible outdoor landscapes, many of which are above 10,000 feet, and has a huge community of “mountain people” who are dedicated to all aspects of mountain life and culture. I am very excited to be able to work with the Institute for Mountain Research to have a little bit more of an academic relationship with mountains and to learn about the many different social, environmental, economic, and scientific factors that play into mountain culture.
