Introducing Our New Intern
A big welcome to Sophia as she gets started at OTL this summer!
We are super excited to introduce a new member of the On the Level team for the summer: Sophia Truex, a student at Tufts, will be a summer intern with the support of the Tufts Career Center Internship Grant Program. From getting a fresh set of eyes on what we do to increasing our capacity to getting to know an incredible person such as Sophia, there are so many reasons we are excited to have them on board for the summer. You, dear reader, should get excited as well since you will be reading some newsletters from Sophia, seeing the fruits of her labor on the Climate Action Explorer, admiring her social media posts for OTL, and much more this summer. Without further ado, here’s a summary of a little interview Sophia and I did last week:
Hometown: Crested Butte, Colorado. Sophia says it’s a “very small, super rural mountain town” with lots of “wildflowers, skiing, and hiking.”
School: Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts.
Majors: Environmental studies and astrophysics. Sophia says this is a good combo because you get to “understand the universe and the ground underneath.” Plus, they always loved space. (I of course had to ask for a beginner astrophysics book recommendation; Sophia said Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Astrophysics for People in a Hurry is a great place to start.)
When she’s not studying, Sophia likes to: practice and compete at Taekwondo with their college club team. Reading and hammocking are also pretty high on the list.
Favorite meal of the day: Breakfast! From smoothies to eggs to french toast, this meal is an opportunity to start your day with “whatever you’re feeling,” according to Sophia. Plus it’s a great excuse to eat something sweet.
Best piece of advice she’s received: As someone who has been indecisive, Sophia said she took to heart some advice from her Grampy, to “focus on the moment” when making a decision and try not to dwell on all of the endless possibilities; Try to learn from your choices, but don’t regret them.
How she got involved in the climate movement: Sophia said that growing up in such an outdoorsy place (see Crested Butte, CO above) allowed her to forge a close connection with the environment and to witness firsthand human impacts around her home. Plus, growing up with parents who were involved in local environmental activism in the form of tree-plantings and more made for a natural entrance into the climate movement in high school as a member of Sustainable Crested Butte. Once Sophia got to Tufts, she got involved in Eco Reps, which brings together student representatives to create campus climate initiatives. Sophia says she continues to be passionate about the climate movement because this is a problem we cannot afford to look away from, and addressing climate change intersects with lots of other critical issues as well.
Why she decided to come work at OTL this summer: Sophia was drawn in by the mission of making it as easy as possible for everyone to be a part of the climate movement and the way that OTL offers options that allow people to be involved in the capacity they’re able to. (Those things have continued to draw us in too for the past two plus years, Sophia!) Plus, she’s excited to get an inside view of the way a small non-profit functions.
Other things she’s excited to do this summer: Lots of hiking, sitting near the river, bike rides, concerts, and spending quality time with family and friends - especially outdoors!
Music recommendations for the crowd: “Hypotheticals” by Lake Street Dive and Noah Kahan’s most recent album
Once again, welcome to Sophia - we’re so excited to be working with her this summer and to see what she gets up to here at On the Level!