Tunxis Community College professor Mark Milewski has successfully climbed Mount Everest.

Milewski arrived at base camp on April 12, where he trained and adjusted to the altitude with other team members. On May 19 he embarked on his summit climb and reached the top of Mount Everest on May 20. The entire expedition took 50 days.

“Approaching the summit was a pretty profound moment,” said Milewski, who stood on top of the 29,035-foot Mount Everest for about 20 minutes with some other climbers. “Everything is below you. I swear I could see the curvature of the earth,” he added. “I extend heartfelt gratitude to everyone who followed along on my blog, supported, encouraged, prayed, and sent their good vibes to me on this turbulent but ultimately triumphant journey.”

Mount Everest is Milewski’s fifth of the seven summits, the highest peaks on each of the seven continents. He previously climbed to the summits of Mount Elbrus, Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount McKinley, and Mount Aconcagua. He started his training for high altitude mountaineering with climbing Mount Rainier in 2004.

An assistant professor of Business Administration, Milewski joined Tunxis in 2010, where he teaches courses in management, business, ethics, entrepreneurship, and a business capstone. He uses much of what he has learned in climbing mountains in his courses which he relates to business, including teamwork and goal attainment. He is also advisor to the student Business Club and has brought many corporate guest speakers to campus. He took a leave of absence during spring semester for the Everest expedition.

Milewski resides in Manchester. He is a Boy Scout leader for Troop 25 in Manchester and is certified as a rock climbing instructor by Boy Scouts of America.

Accredited by ACBSP since 2009, the Tunxis business program offers a business administration degree that transfers to UConn and the Connecticut State Universities, and certificates in accounting, business administration, finance, and marketing. For more on Tunxis programs, call 860.773.1300, or visit the Tunxis website at tunxis.edu.

Tunxis offers over 60 associate degrees and certificates, providing critical thinking and problem-solving skills that prepare students for transfer to bachelor’s degree programs and employment in areas with industry need. The college is located at the junction of Routes 6 and 177 in Farmington.

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