Why I climb

I never grew up seeing myself as an athlete. As a disabled Asian American woman with a paralyzed arm, sport always felt like something meant for other people. I was the kid who was never picked in gym class, a story I would eventually explore in my TEDx talk, The Power of Exclusion. I did not see climbers who looked like me or moved like me. I have fond memories of climbing at friends’ birthday parties before I became disabled as a kid.

In 2016, I got introduced to para climbing (top rope climbing for disabled athletes). Everything changed when I realized I could rebuild a relationship with climbing and my body that felt joyful, powerful, and entirely my own.

In 2025, I joined the USA Para Climbing National Development Team. I am currently the only single arm woman competitor in the world and compete in the RP1 classification, one of the selected categories for the first ever Paralympic inclusion of para climbing at the LA28 Paralympic Games.

My journey as an athlete expands my identity as an advocate. The wall is another place where I get to champion disability pride, visibility, and possibility.