Andrew Bisharat

Biography

Born in Brooklyn and raised in Westchester, Bisharat lived with his grandfather for the first decade of his life. “He was my main connection to Palestine. I was embarrassed by my Palestinian heritage growing up in New York, I felt like I had something to hide, but he and my father taught me to be proud from my roots.

When he was 16, Bisharat's high school girlfriend gave him a rock climbing lesson as a birthday present. It was the start of everything. "I was pretty much hooked right after that." When he left for college a few years later, Bisharat found other people to climb with. He spent his free time learning to climb by reading books and browsing the internet. After graduating, he picke...