We are proud to announce that Carlos Buhler ES'71 has been selected as this year's recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award. Carlos, a world-renowned high-altitude mountaineer, has not only reached extraordinary heights in his field but has also made significant contributions to the global community, embodying the core values of School Year Abroad (SYA). Carlos attended SYA as a junior from The Putney School in Vermont.

His journey as a mountaineer began during his time with SYA in Barcelona, where he first connected with the Spanish climbing community. This early experience laid the foundation for a career that has spanned fifty years, during which Carlos has led international expeditions on some of the most challenging peaks across five continents. His most notable achievement came in 1983 when he and his team made history by ascending the Kangshung Face of Mount Everest, a route so treacherous that it has never been successfully climbed again.

Carlos's influence extends far beyond the mountaineering world. His approach to climbing, characterized by small, international teams and a minimal environmental footprint, has set a new standard in the field. He has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Polartec Challenge Award for his commitment to respecting local cultures and the environment, and the American Alpine Club's Robert and Miriam Underhill Award for outstanding mountaineering achievement.

His leadership and teamwork experience, broadened in the extreme conditions of high-altitude climbing, have proven valuable in the corporate environment. He has shared his experiences with organizations to help them foster cross-cultural communication and collaboration among competing units, demonstrating how techniques from mountaineering can be applied to inter-organizational challenges. 

Beyond his professional achievements, Carlos has made a lasting impact on the broader community through his philanthropic efforts. As a member of the Advisory Board of the Gorkha Foundation, he has worked tirelessly to support initiatives that reduce poverty and inequality in Nepal's Gorkha region, focusing on healthcare, education and microcredit.

Having climbed extensively with Russians and Ukrainians, Carlos founded the Heart of Ukraine initiative in 2022 to address critical shortages of interventional cardiology supplies in Ukrainian cath labs. This humanitarian effort began after Buhler’s visit to the Poland-Ukraine border in April 2022, where he volunteered with the nonprofits World Central Kitchen and Siobahn’s Trust. During his work, he learned about the dire need for medical supplies from Dr. Igor Polivenok, an interventional cardiologist in Kharkiv.

Carlos exemplifies the values that SYA seeks to instill in its students. His dedication to inspiring academic excellence, facilitating second language mastery and deepening cultural awareness and global understanding is evident in both his professional and personal life. From his early days with SYA Spain to his continued engagement with the international climbing community, Carlos remains a true ambassador of the SYA mission.

We congratulate Carlos on this well-deserved honor and thank him for his ongoing contributions to the world.