Rock climbing is slowly gaining popularity amongst college students. Climbing gyms are popping up all over Philadelphia, and Temple University even has its own wall and climbing club. 

However, when looking for a school to transfer into after a year at Shippensburg University and a year at Harrisburg Area Community College, transfer student Hunter Severe was drawn to Temple for more reasons than just the rock wall. 

We interviewed Severe, who is studying communication studies on the policy regulation and advocacy track, to find out more about his climbing, his Klein College of Media and Communication experience and the connections he sees between both aspects of his life.

How did you get into rock climbing?

So, I originally went to Shippensburg to play football and decided that I didn’t want to play football anymore. I was looking around for various activities to do to kind of, like, keep myself exercising and fit. Someone introduced climbing to me, and after that I was completely hooked. It started out just as a form of exercise, and then I started to discover how beneficial it could be for you in other areas like mental health. 

What kind of rock climbing do you do?

I frequently go to climbing gyms. I work in a climbing gym right now, actually, and I did while I was at school in Philly. I’m online right now and back in Lancaster. I do go to the gyms regularly, but if it’s good weather my heart and soul is climbing outside.

I could talk for this entire interview just on the different kinds of climbing. While I do enjoy any kind of climbing, I tend to be a boulderer first and foremost because it’s easiest to do. You don’t need, like, another partner to, like, belay you or something like that. But, I prefer to do what’s called sport climbing. I like to use the comparison of bouldering is kind of like sprinting and sport climbing is running endurance.

All of the little disciplines like bouldering and sport climbing have, like, almost their own little communities and those communities definitely overlap with each other a lot. That’s one of the best things about the climbing industry–the community that is built around it.

Why did you choose to pursue communication studies?

I took a public speaking class [at Shippensburg] and got a 100% in it and started to realize that I had high confidence when it came to talking to people. At HACC then after that, I took another communication studies class. I found it very interesting studying, like, how the human brain works in a way, and how communication works.

What are you involved in at Klein?

I got relatively close with Dr. Gratson and the other students that worked in the comm studies office. I was actively seeking out ways to become involved. I did weekly posts for the communication studies Instagram account and just, like, through seeking out all those different involvements and stuff I started to develop this idea of things I could create and put my name on. 

I decided I wanted to help every other transfer that I could possibly help. I was a student worker in the comm studies office for a little while. I dealt heavily with recruitment and open houses when we bring in prospective students, talking to them, answering questions that they have. 

What was the transfer process like for you?

I had a couple friends that went to Temple and really enjoyed it. I went to Shippensburg and disliked how little there was going on in the area. So, I decided to go to the complete extreme opposite of that, which is to plant myself in Philadelphia. I’ve always been curious if I would enjoy living in the city, and I thought going to college in the city would be a great opportunity. I’m very glad that I did it. 

From there, I was just mind blown by Temple as a school. The size, being in the city–not only are you surrounded by more people that are like-minded people with similar majors to me, but I found so many people, so many friends that were, like, similar work ethic, similar interest to me. So many other people who were different. Coming from a suburban community and growing up there my whole life to then talking to someone who only ever lived in the city for their whole life, it’s incredibly eye-opening. I feel like I’m much more versatile as a person just for having those experiences and relationships.

Do you see connections between your focus on school and your focus on climbing?

Absolutely. Without a doubt. Especially as a transfer. I’m not gonna pretend that people who go to school for four years don’t struggle, but, when you’re trying to transfer and, in my case, you know, you get rejected once or twice, and you persevere through that, there are definite correlations.

In climbing, I have to constantly check my ego because maybe I can’t do a climb that I expect I can do, and I have to look at that and accept what it means. There will be times when you’re in the middle of a climb and get scared. You don’t know if you can do it, or you think you might fall and get hurt, and all these things can be translated to metaphors for being a transfer student. Trying to pass classes that are hard, and you’re not sure if you’re going to succeed or fail. Even just the act of transferring, leaving one place behind and relinquishing it for somewhere new. That can be terrifying for some people.

What’s next for you?

There’s definitely a couple fields I could end up in because my degree is so broad. I would say from a degree standpoint, I would really like to somehow be involved in policy relating to the outdoors. 

I think immediately right out of college, I’m going to try to become a sales rep for a climbing company to supplement traveling for a year. I would like to travel around for at least a year experiencing all of the amazing climbing that this country has to offer, and possibly other countries, too, if I can afford it.

I got a job in October 2019 at The Cliffs at Callowhill, which is a massive climbing center. I got a job there right when they opened up, I was one of their opening staff members. That was a huge opportunity for me.

I think climbing gyms are going to be very prevalent in my career. I could see myself being a manager of a climbing gym at some point.