Sophia Lafontant

I think my ability to speak up about what I want, and also what I don't want, has been really helpful. Every opportunity isn't right for you, and depending on your season in life, something may actually be more of a burden than helpful. I haven't shied away from letting people know what I want and where I want to be, or where I don't want to be. I think it's important to vocalize and to share it, because it only helps you. People are not going to know exactly what you want if you don't tell them. They're not mind readers, so it's important to make it known. I'm a very humble person, so I don't think of myself as, like, a crazy success story, but I do believe that advocating for yourself and using your voice has been key to where I am today.

My mom always said to me, 'Sophia, it doesn't matter if you make A's in school, as long as you make A's in life.' That advice freed me up to think about how do I ace life? It's not just about the test scores, but about how you show up, the things you do with your free time, the things you're doing with your professional time, and where you're showing up to those things. That's the true test. That became my North Star. I think it was such a gift to give me that perspective and to release some of that pressure to perform academically, and really think about the big picture in terms of my life and for others.

The field of international development is going through a lot right now, with many countries pulling back from that work. What I would tell a young person that wants to do this kind of work and wants to make a difference is to find avenues, whether those be paid or unpaid, to get involved. It's really critical to invest in their network and be top of mind when people do have opportunities. Keep in contact with your mentors, with your past bosses, with your network. Even sharing a quarterly update, a news article, setting up a virtual or in-person coffee helps, and it doesn't have to be a heavy lift. Set up a quarterly reminder to reach out to one to three people, or to share a resource. When an opportunity does come up, people will remember you. That's really what's gonna help keep you top of mind and help you stand out, by keeping those connections warm.

I really want to leverage my strategic thinking and strategic positioning. I've really enjoyed thinking through how do we maximize the talent and resource capacity that we have to make the world a better place. I really enjoy anything that is building community and contributing to community, because I think it's something that we all need and can benefit from, networking with like-minded folks. I do believe strongly in giving back, and I do believe strongly in mentoring, because these are the things that have helped me in my life, and I want to be able to pay it forward. I think it's really important to find micro-moments of joy throughout the day, things that are gonna make you smile, things that are gonna make you laugh, because the world can be very heavy. Life is not always perfect, and everyone's always going through something. You may not know it, you may not see it, but remembering that there are small things you can do to make yourself laugh, to make yourself happy, is important.