Steve Abraham ’80, ’83L Named a Washingtonian of the Year for 2024 As founder and president of Wilderness Leadership and Learning, Abraham has impacted hundreds of youths in the D.C. area.
For 53 years, Washingtonian magazine has featured its Washingtonians of Year – a list of 10 local heroes who make the Washington, D.C., region a better place to live. Steve Abraham ’80, ’83L, president and founder of Wilderness Leadership and Learning (WILL), was named to the 2024 list for his work with underserved youth.
Abraham was recognized along with nine other honorees at a luncheon on Jan. 9 in Washington, D.C.
“I am blessed to do what I do, and what I do is not about me — it is about the youth with whom I work and serve,” Abraham said. “When we go to the bay over spring break, and youth see the sunset on the horizon — many for the first time in their lives. To see the unbridled joy, glee and exuberance in their faces fills my heart with joy and fuels my passion for what I do. In receiving this incredible honor, I do so not for myself, but I receive it for the amazing WILL youth who inspire me every day to empower and unleash the potential of underserved D.C. area youth.”
Abraham founded WILL after a successful 18-year career as a commercial trial attorney. Seeking a new challenge, Abraham embarked on a multi-week backpacking expedition in the Wind River Range in Wyoming. Up on a ridgeline 10,000 feet above sea level, he said he felt totally at peace for the first time in his life. It was in that moment that the idea for starting a program to help youth from underserved communities through wilderness training and life-skill development came to him.
Abraham credited his time at W&L as foundational to his success and effectiveness in both law and leading WILL. As president of the Executive Committee during his senior year, he embraced the values of civility, integrity and stewardship central to the university’s Honor System. Those same principles are cornerstones of WILL, which has positively impacted 600 youth to date.
“We instill in WILL youth that you get out of life what you put into it,” Abraham said. “When you participate and engage, life is fulfilling.”
Read more about Abraham and WILL in the Fall/winter 2025 issue of Washington and Lee: The W&L Magazine.
If you know any W&L alumni who would be great profile subjects, tell us about them! Nominate them for a web profile.
You must be logged in to post a comment.