Sofia Salas (28) is pursuing a master’s degree in Public Administration at Harvard University – Kennedy School of Government.
Sofia grew up in Colombia during a period of conflict. Surrounded by the love and support of three incredible women – her mother, grandmother and sister, Sofia received valuable education and cultural experiences allowing her to explore her curiosity and interests. She also had the opportunity to travel around her country and see the impact of conflict in different regions.
Sofia was particularly aware of the effect of war on women and this motivated her to volunteer at a non-profit organization as a project officer. There she focused her efforts on several projects that were aimed at reconciliation activities for people in regions affected by armed conflict. She also collaborated with PepsiCo and Coca Cola on a project meant to foster women empowerment and gender equity in rural areas affected by violence.
Sofia was also the co-founder of an organization where she led other like-minded young people to promote peace and a transparent and ethical political arena. Sofia also organized and attended marches in defense of the peace agreement between a guerilla group and the Colombian government.
As she pursues her degree, Sofia remains active and committed to issues facing Colombians and Latin American women. She is currently on the gender policy union at Harvard’s Kennedy School where she is discussing and debating key policy issues around gender, women’s right, and different forms of feminism.
After graduation Sofia plans to leverage her professional, educational and personal experiences to continue fighting for gender equality and empowerment of women. She plans on getting involved in the public sector in a political role by working side-by-side with a female political figure. Her main goal there would be to increase female participation in all aspects of the political scene.
