There cannot be failure unless one gives up – I know that for certain. – Vanessa O’Brien
This month’s edition of “The Graduate” features Vanessa O’Brien (‘97), a British-American mountaineer, explorer, author and (of course) notable Stern grad! Among Vanessa’s many achievements, she set a Guinness World Record by becoming the first woman to reach the Earth’s highest (Mt. Everest 8,848m) and lowest (Challenger Deep 10,925m) points. Vanessa is the first American or British woman to successfully summit K2, the world’s second-tallest mountain, has summited the highest peaks on every continent (the Seven Summits) in a 295 day span, and has skied the last degree to the north and south poles in 11 months (Explorers Grand Slam). Her…