Sophia DeAraujo – July 2013 Scholar of the Month
CHCI-Nike Scholar
Hometown: Framingham, MA
School: University of Massachusetts- Lowell
Degree: B.A., Undeclared
Coming from a large school, I feel that I’ve accomplished a lot as an individual. I am proudly the first in my family to attend a four-year college. It was not always easy. During my freshmen year, I struggled with grades. But after making some adjustments I ended up with a strong 3.4 gpa. I also worked very hard to polish my English skills and am now doing quite well in my classes.
Since joining UMASS Lowell, I have finally decided on a major ? international business, with a minor in French. Outside of the academic world, I participate in a number of extracurricular activities. I currently hold an executive position with the Latin American Student Association as an event coordinator. Some of my events have even led the association to win student organization of the year! I am also the founder of ALPFA UMASS Lowell, a club which helps connect Latino business professionals and business students. For my work, I have won the Emerging Student Leader award from my university. For this, I hope CHCI is proud of me! Through my work in these organizations, I hope to continue with my community service and impact the community around me.
One of my proudest investments in myself has been a hip-hop movement called “Floatn’ Above.” This movement gives people a chance to express themselves and their stories through the art of hip-hop. We hope to continue spreading this informal movement throughout campus and hopefully beyond.
I hope to graduate with excellent grades and attain a career in a field where I can help people and have an impact in my community. I do not want to have a job where I don’t see a final product on a daily basis. Hopefully these four years of college won’t tear me up too much so I can continue onto graduate school. That way, I will be setting the bars very high for my future children who will hopefully raise it even higher.