Meet Sophia Lin | Activist, Artist, & Social Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sophia Lin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sophia, what are you inspired by?

“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” This quote from Maya Angelou profoundly resonates with me as a writer, an artist, a passionate advocate, and a dedicated activist. I am constantly inspired by my unwavering initiative to make meaningful changes and make a positive impact on my community.

I am driven by my long-term commitment to continuously introducing new ideas to expand the impact of the youth education service nonprofit organization, iReach. As the co-founder of iReach, I am proud to have played a pivotal role in iReach’s consistent success over the past three years of growing 450 iReach members, hosting 50 summer camps, and serving 5000+ tutoring hours for Arizona’s youth. In 2021, I introduced Dance and Arts camps to help youth during the pandemic and served as an art/dance instructor; in 2022, I forged a strategic partnership between iReach and Southwest Autism Research & Resources Center (SARRC) to host art booth and fundraising at the annual YES Day for Autism event, which raised over $400,000 for autism community every year; in 2023, as iReach President, I diversified the leadership team by adding 30% new talents, hosted Speech & Debate seminar for those who could not afford private training. Taking my mission further and serving as the Arizona Governor’s Youth Commission (GYC) Education Workgroup Co-chair, I work with my peers to relentlessly bridge education gaps through resource sharing and Webinar sessions, reaching hundreds of students across Arizona.

My passion and innovative solutions to address Arizona’s education issues was recognized by the Institute for Citizens & Scholars (ICS), a national nonpartisan fellowship foundation that aims to strengthen American democracy by “cultivating the talent, ideas, and networks that develop lifelong, effective citizens.” As one of the thirty-three selected youth leaders nationwide in 2023, I was awarded with $1800 fellowship grant, which was invested into my S.M.A.R.T.Arizona initiative to provide resources for Arts, STEM, Civics, and Financial Literacy education. With my desire for social change, ICS recommended me to join Valley Leadership Catalyze Cohort 3 with full scholarship to work with 90 adult community leaders to discuss and address Arizona’s most pressing issues.

Through the fellowship and leadership programs, my network and resources became a strong support for my like-minded service-oriented peers. I was selected as ICS’s inaugural Youth Civic Impact Fellowship mentor to help other youth leaders promote their social-impact initiatives. As one of ten Student Advisory Panelists on Arizona State Board of Education (SBE), I created opportunities for my mentee to share his Entrepreneurship & Financial Literacy resolution with SBE and discuss related education policy and standards. In addition, I enabled collaboration between my mentee and SBE student advisory members to take Arizona’s Entrepreneurship & Financial Literacy education to the next level.

My aspiration to initiate change, foster collaboration, and drive innovative solutions for those in need will continue to inspire myself and those like-minded peers around me. I am determined to change the status of Arizona being ranked 46th out of 50 states in overall education, and I believe I can make a difference.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

I’ve always found myself drawn to all forms of art: creative writing, original oratory and informative speech, dancing, painting, and music, but I truly find my passion in the intersection between advocacy and arts. Using my arts and creativity to amplify my voice and influence changes for the community is my passion. I find inspiration in the beauty of art. I advocate for social justice through my paintings displayed at the State Capitol and Congressman’s office. Having danced all dance styles for ten years, I spread the joy as a performer and dance instructor for nonprofit organizations. Serving as an ambassador for FreeArts for Abused Children and the president of iReach, I focus on bridging Arizona’s education gaps through my nonprofit initiative S.M.A.R.T.Arizona. Aspiring to learn about policy and advocate for equal access to the arts for Arizona youth, I am one of fifteen who serve on 2023-2024 AZ Youth Arts Council, advising the Arizona Arts Commission on grant programs and initiatives that directly affect young people and learning about policy related to equal access to the arts for all young people in Arizona. 

I witnessed the power of creative writing and speaking in March 2024, when I represented Arizona in the national Voice of Democracy audio essay competition in Washington D.C. hosted by Veterans of Foreign Wars, and won National First Place with a $35,000 scholarship. Besides the awards and accolades, what motivates me is the opportunity to raise awareness of social issues and share my perspective of democracy through my authentic voice while seeking the truth and cultivating the virtues of gratitude, diversity, candid discourse, empathy, and a genuine openness to multifaceted viewpoints, through my authentic art forms.

My writing and speech on topics such as racial stereotypes, women’s rights, and children’s rights received national recognitions at the most prestigious Speech/Debate tournaments at Harvard (7th), Yale (5th), and Stanford (7th) Invitational, as well as a 5th place at National Tournament of Champions (TOC), and first runner-up in ASU National invitational. When I was invited to speak on racial stereotypes at TEDx Talk in 2022, I recognized that the event had the power to amplify my voice far beyond the local. I started to co-organize TEDx Talk Youth events in 2023, enabling young change-makers across Arizona to share their narratives. I also joined the Arizona chapter of Equality in Forensics as a founding member, coordinating with chapters across the nation to run suit drives, bake sales, host judge-coaching sessions, and enable people of all socio-economic backgrounds to participate in Speech and Debate.

As a visual artist, I like to highlight the duality between art and advocacy through my paintings. I was named one of the twelve state winners of a crowdsourcing “It’s Our Turn” Youth Contest hosted by the Arizona Community Engagement Alliance during the pandemic. Through my acrylic painting which portrays youth struggle during this unprecedented time, I used my art to foster youth leadership in the fight against the pandemic. Over the past three years, I continued to use my paintings to highlight social issues and advocate for positivity. My artwork won Scholastic Art Awards every year, and the Congressional Art Competition in 2023 (2nd place) and 2022 (3rd place) in Arizona’s 1st District, with my paintings displayed in Congressman David Schweikert’s Office.

To cultivate an uplifting school environment with healthy peer relationships through my creativity, I co-founded Scottdale Basis’s Peer Advocate Crew of BLOOM365 (Bring Love On Others More, 365 Days A Year), a grassroots movement with the goal of cultivating a safe place for students to drive four main initiatives: empathy, respect, consent, and equality. As the current president BLOOM365 chapter, I organize monthly tabling events on campus that attract hundreds of students, raising awareness about bullying, stereotyping, and relationship red flags, and promoting healthy relationships on campus, all through various creative art forms, such as banner design, jeans painting, creative and motivational speeches, advocating, and social media content creating. In 2023, recognizing the issue of “period shaming,” we spearheaded fundraising efforts and successfully installed the first-ever feminine products dispenser in our school bathroom. In February 2024, I was awarded by BLOOM365 organization the Empathy Award as Crew of the Year leader. Through my creative advocacy and leadership, more than thirty percent of our student body got direct exposure to the criticality of building healthy relationships. As a BLOOM365 Lead Peer Advocate and paid intern, I support state and national-level campaigns, spread awareness of domestic violence, and advocate for healthy relationships through video, podcast, and social media.

My journey is an enthusiastic pursuit of creativity, a commitment to societal well-being, and an unwavering dedication to making a positive impact through my skills in all forms of arts. I aspire to be a change-maker whose passion and skills are poised to leave an indelible mark on the intersection of art and advocacy.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

Must-visit: Phoenix Art Museum, known for its impressive collection of contemporary and classic art.
Desert Botanical Garden to experience the beauty of desert flora.
Papago Park for an evening stroll and hike on the Hole-in-the-Rock trail for a stunning sunset view.
Old Town Scottsdale, known for its Western charm and art galleries.

Shopping: Scottsdale Fashion Square

Dining+:
AZ88
The Vig
The Henry
Sophia’s Kitchen

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

There are so many people on my list.

I would love to do a shoutout to my inspiring mentors and advisors at the Arizona Governor’s Youth Commission and the Scottsdale Mayor’s Youth Council. These two organizations have played an instrumental role over the past two years in developing my leadership skills and striving to be the best version of myself.

Also a shoutout to all my teachers at Basis Scottsdale. We are a national top-ranked STEM school, but all my teachers and counselors provide me the room and opportunity to nurture my creativity and love of arts. Thanks to Xiao Su School of Art for guiding me for the past 10 years in my pursuit of visual art creation.

Also, Donna Bartos, Founder & CEO of bloom365.org, a movement to Bring Love On Others More, 365 days a year, toward #UprootAbuse. I am so honored to receive an Empathy Award with $1000 prize from bloom365 for my work as a Lead Peer Advocate and a leader for my school’s Peer Advocate Crew. I appreciate Donna’s inspiration in my journey as an advocate.

Instagram: @sophialin817 @S.M.A.R.T.Arizona