Andrew Bisharat

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 every...