Music has the extraordinary ability to transcend barriers and bring people together. Today, we’re sharing the story of a young woman who is harnessing that transformative power to inspire meaningful change for girls around the world.
Meet Sophia, a high school student in Massachusetts who is passionate about three things: singing, gender equality and giving back.
“I don’t even know when I fell in love with singing,” Sophia says. “It has always felt innate.”
The 16-year-old started taking classical voice lessons nearly 10 years ago. Over the past decade, she competed in — and won — local, national and even international competitions, performing in iconic venues, including Carnegie Hall in New York City.
Years of hard work and training culminated in her first solo recital this June.
“It was my most important milestone in my classical voice career,” Sophia shares.
As significant as this achievement was for her personally, Sophia recognized that it was an opportunity to showcase more than just her musical talents — it was a way to make a meaningful impact for girls around the world, shining a spotlight on a cause close to her heart.
Just like singing, giving back has been a part of Sophia’s life for as long as she can remember. She credits that to her family, and especially to her mother’s example.
“Ever since before I was born, my mother has consistently sponsored the education of children in the Yunnan province of China,” she shares. “With this project, my mother and her partners would take yearly trips to the mountain town and meet with the children they were sponsoring and reconnect with the local teachers and school administrators. I accompanied her on these trips.
“The most recent visit was just last summer, where I got to visit the elementary school, and meet the principal, students my mom was currently sponsoring, as well as two of the first children my mom sponsored, who are now working as nurses after graduating universities in major cities.
“Being raised alongside these impactful experiences from childhood has definitely inspired me to continue the cycle of giving back and fighting for social justice around the world.”
The social justice issue that inspires Sophia the most is the fight for gender equality and girls’ rights.
“Being a girl means being subjected to discrimination and misogyny no matter where you are from,” Sophia says. “And ever since I could recognize injustice upon myself and my gender identity, I educated myself about gender inequality around the world and became fascinated with initiatives against gender injustice.”
As she prepared for her recital, she thought about the many girls who are denied the freedom and opportunities to pursue their dreams.
“I acknowledge my massive privilege to be provided with resources and societal permission to hone my passions — many girls do not have these things,” Sophia says. “Whether it is being bound by gendered, sexist obligations, hygiene stigma and under-resource, or not being able to afford school, more than 120 million girls are forbidden from pursuing education, let alone the arts.”
Sophia decided to turn her recital into a fundraiser, asking friends and family to donate the cost of their recital ticket to support girls through Plan.
“I first heard about Plan International as a part of all school council freshman year of high school when we discussed and voted from which nonprofit to donate our event proceeds to,” Sophia says. “I loved Plan’s mission.”
Initially, Sophia set a fundraising goal of $500, but she was blown away by the response.
“To my surprise, recital attendees and friends and family alike showed overwhelming support,” she says. “As of right now, we have raised $2,000!”
When asked what advice she has for young fundraisers who aren’t sure where to begin, Sophia emphasized the importance of doing your homework and spreading the word about your fundraiser to your personal network — and beyond.
“I truly believe that anyone deciding to hold a fundraiser should really do their due diligence into what purpose they are supporting and be passionate about helping the cause,” Sophia says. “I partnered the fundraiser with my solo voice recital, so I was able to spread the word about it to attendees. I also posted the fundraiser and my concert invitation to my school forum, social media, personal friends and family group chats!”
Young leaders like Sophia give us hope for the future. Their spirit and determination inspire the work we do every day. Together, we won’t stop until we are all equal.
