|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
When Miami Palmetto High School rising senior Sophia Graff took a photography course, she wanted to use her newfound talent.
“I love taking photos, whether it’s nature, animals or candids,” she says.
She noticed the family photos in her house and realized a lot of families didn’t have those family photos because they couldn’t afford them.
“I wanted to do something about it,” she says.
Last December, she offered free 8 x 10 portraits to families in Miami Shores. She took pictures for two days, giving joy to approximately 25 families. Most people learned about the portraits through word of mouth.
“If they were in the area, they got it and the next day, they told their friends,” she says.
She’s thinking about expanding the program next December, but this time it will be planned out more and she hopes to do more portraits.
“I might start a fund me page if people want to pay for printing it out,” she says, adding she paid for the printing last December.
Volunteer work is important to Graff. She’s an active member of Achieve Miami, an organization that matches teens to elementary school children who need help reading. She goes to the Caribbean K-8 Center every other Saturday to be a Big Buddy.
“I’ve been doing this since freshman year,” she says. “I love it. I look forward to it. The kids look forward to seeing my face again. I have my regular kids and it’s incredible every time.”
Through Palmetto, she participated in Innovate to Mitigate, a competition for ideas on how to mitigate climate change.
Her group did a project that encompassed more Meatless Mondays.
She’s a member of the Science National Honor Society. Next year she is taking Solar and Marine Science.
She’s been class treasurer since freshman year and was re-appointed for the next school year as well.
This year she was vice president of the Spanish National Honor Society and expects to be vice president again next year.
She’s also vice president of the Chess Club.
“I’ve grown up on Chess.com with my dad and my brother,” she says. “I wrote my seminar paper last year on why the ratio of men to women in chess is so drastic.”
She says the primary reason is the way people were brought up. However, things are changing significantly. She attributes a lot of the change to shows like The Queen’s Gambit.
“I just play for fun,” she says.
Graff’s extracurricular activities include being a Health Information Project Peer Educator.
“I think it’s extremely necessary and beneficial, too. It helps create relationships,” she says.
As a peer educator she and a team teach freshmen students health topics, including difficult topics such as abuse, assault and harassment. And how the students can get help.
She’s also a member of the Social Science National Honor Society. She’s a member of one of the History Bowl teams.
Graff is on the varsity bowling team and will be captain next year. The team did well this year, making it to the regional finals. Two members even went on to the state bowling tournament.
Graff herself received an honorable mention on the All-Miami-Dade team.
Currently her college list includes USC and the University of Michigan. Her major is undecided. The possibilities include political science, or environmental science, and psychology.
She participated in a summer program at the University of San Diego on social psychology and social media management.
Last year she did a pre-college enrichment program that took her to Barcelona. She studied Spanish.
Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld
ABOUT US:
For more Miami community news, look no further than Miami Community Newspapers. This Miami online group of newspapers covers a variety of topics about the local community and beyond. Miami’s Community Newspapers offers daily news, online resources, podcasts and other multimedia content to keep readers informed. With topics ranging from local news to community events, Miami’s Community Newspapers is the ideal source for staying up to date with the latest news and happenings in the area. Additionally, the newspaper has exclusive Miami community podcasts, providing listeners with an in-depth look into Miami’s culture. Whether you’re looking for local Miami news, or podcasts about the community, Miami’s Community Newspapers has you covered.
