On July 1, Sophia Booker became the first youth representative to serve on Virginia’s State Executive Council. Sophia, youth network coordinator for Project LIFE at UMFS and a student at VCU, was a vocal advocate for the Fostering Futures program, an initiative proposed by Governor Terry McAuliffe and ultimately accepted by the General Assembly. Sophia got the attention of legislators and lobbyists when she ended her testimony with, “Woo hoo for the bill!”
“I missed the call from the governor’s office because I was taking a nap, but when I listened to the message on my phone, I couldn’t have been more excited,” Sophia says. “I’m truly honored to be appointed to serve on the committee. I’m excited to get to work this fall.”
You may remember Sophia as our featured champion in last summer’s newsletter. Sophia and her twin sister grew up in foster care and were eventually adopted as teens. Many of the teens in foster care Sophia works with don’t fare as well. Sophia wants to be sure these youth have the support they need when they leave foster care. She’s a social work major at VCU with a minor in psychology who isn’t afraid to use her voice to make an impact.