Class Note 2022. Van-lifing, climbing outside, and working remotely, Sophie Kwon is defining living on her own terms with her fiancé, Grant Dumanian. The newly engaged couple hit the road in the summer of 2025 in their converted Ford Transit van, which they designed with a family friend. Last year Sophie and Grant spent six months on the road out west in Wyoming and Colorado, and they plan to do the same this year.
Having competed on the U.S. team through high school, climbing has always been a part of Sophie’s identity. By the time she arrived at Dartmouth, she felt she had already peaked, and college gave her the opportunity to develop an identity beyond climbing. Seven years since her last international competition, this latest chapter has helped her redefine her love for the sport. Climbing outside has completely different metrics of success, and the same motions were given a new life. Sophie is now sending harder than she ever has, feeling her strongest, and embracing every challenge as a chance to improve.
One of the most daunting parts was figuring out how to make it work with their jobs. For Sophie, what started as an internship doing market research at Splunk turned into an opportunity to grow within her team as it was acquired by Cisco. Just before hitting the road, she accepted a promotion to chief of staff for a senior executive, whose trust undeniably turned van life from an ambitious dream into reality.
Although physically and emotionally rewarding, juggling remote jobs and climbing meant packing their days beyond full. Morning and afternoon climbing sessions were structured around work schedules, time zones, and hours of daylight. A perfect summer day would mean a productive morning of work calls, a lunchtime dip in the river, and a few hours to climb before the sun went down.
Undoubtedly, van life in remote areas complicates some logistics of adulting. There was a learning curve to incorporating grocery runs and laundromat visits into weekly routines and making sure all their possessions were secured away before driving to climb or back to the campsite. They also became more in tune with the seasons: During the summer, the long daylight hours allow for more time and space outside, but shorter and colder days in the fall meant more time inside, a shorter window to get outside, and the need for an extra comforter.
All in all, Sophie and Grant feel this adventure has allowed them to step away from the fast pace of city life—they spent three years in San Francisco postgrad—and be more present with themselves and each other than ever before. Most of the campsites they stayed at did not have cell service and turning off the Starlink at night became one of Sophie’s favorite rituals. The evenings of reading, journaling, and hanging out in the van became an intentional gesture to her own mind and body.
By the time this article hits print, Sophie and Grant will be back on the road. On the second go-around, they are spending two months each in three different spots, as logistics get simpler with longer stays and consistent routines. Sophie flies back to work for occasional in-person weeks, but that feels like an easy tradeoff. They’re not quite done with van life yet, but Sophie joked that she’ll be ready for a real place with a bathroom soon. Even when they decide to return to a more settled life, they’ll always have the van to step back into nature and the world of climbing they love.
—Louisa Gao, 154 E 29th St., New York, NY 10016; louisa.gao0922@gmail.com