Anyone looking for Sofia Torres will find her in one of the many AP or dual enrollment classes she takes at Michael Krop Senior High School in northeast Miami-Dade County. Or you could look for her at a club meeting, since she’s president of four different clubs.
Sofia is a dynamo powered by relentless curiosity.
“I feel like everything that I’m involved in, I’m extremely passionate about and I don’t do it just to do,” Sofia said.
As president of her school’s National Business Honor Society chapter, she’s certainly impressed her faculty advisor.
The Hurricane season is on. Our meteorologists are ready. Sign up for the NBC 6 Weather newsletter to get the latest forecast in your inbox.
“She sets the bar for others to follow, she set the bar for me to follow, actually!" said Shannon Haynes, lead teacher of Krop’s National Academy of Finance program. "So I had to step my game up as well because she just is full of energy and ideas and I had to make sure I helped her bring those things to life."
One of the top students in a school full of achievers, Sofia is on her way to the Ivy League.
She’s going to Cornell University in the fall, but says her biggest achievement has been starting her own non-profit organization to help orphans in Colombia. She’s raised more than $4,000, collected 350 pairs of shoes, 2,000 pairs of socks, and Sofia has delivered many of the goods personally.
Education On 6
Providing families with tools to get the most out of their children's education
“It makes me really proud of myself that I’ve been able to impact the kids, it makes me feel motivated,” Sofia said. “Especially working with kids in an orphanage, being able to give them a sense of assurance, like there’s people out there caring for them.”
She’s finding out that one of the best things about doing charity work is that she’s not just helping the kids at the orphanage, she’s also making an impact on her peers at Krop High.
“For example, I had an underclassman come up to me and tell me everything that I’ve done with my non-profit has inspired her and motivated her to start her own,” Sofia explained.
Inspiring her classmates seems to be a regular occurrence.
“A thousand percent!” laughed Adrian De Leon, another senior at Krop. “I’ve known her for a while and I still look up to her and I still want to be like her to this day, she’s really amazing.”
“She pushes us, like if we have an idea she’s really supportive, she always tries to help us get there, she’s just like very supportive, helpful and inspiring person, honestly,” added Krop student Alexandra Filori.
Sofia is that kid who wants everyone to succeed.
“The only person that can stop yourself is yourself, so I think you should definitely keep working hard and strive and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t,” she said.
Words to live by, for any age.
