August 2023 Student Spotlight
In this month’s student spotlight Sofia Trevisani talks about becoming an activist, her interest in immigration as the daughter of Brazilian immigrants, and her experience in the Marxe School’s undergraduate program, the BSPA.
How did you become an activist?
I became an activist when I went to my first protest in Brazil, in 2013. It was a protest in favor of impeachment for the president Dilma Rousseff. Everyone from my class was going so I joined. Once I got there and heard the chanting, saw the hundreds, maybe even thousands of people marching for a change, and being successful, she was impeached. It showed me the power that people hold in a democracy. Since then, I have wanted to fight for changes in that way.
What got you interested in immigration?
I am interested in immigration because I am the daughter of two Brazilian immigrants. I grew up exclusively around immigrants in immigrant communities. My mother volunteered for two non-profits that helped immigrant women with breast cancer and who had autistic children. I grew up seeing the immeasurable struggles these people go through and how incredibly hard they work. I also unfortunately grew up seeing how much hatred exists towards that group of people here. As I grew older, I found that I wanted to help change that, help these people as much as I can.
Tell us about your experience in the BSPA program. Any favorite classes or professors?
I have a few favorite classes and professors. I never took a class with professor Feller but he was a huge help in my life and so I am eternally grateful to him and all that he has done for me. My favorite classes would have to be the Race, Racism and Inequality class I took with professor [Angie] Beeman, and the Quantitative methods for Policy and Practice with Professor Bennett. I loved both these classes because they taught me crucial skills I need for my future endeavors. Skills such as knowing how to analyze graphs and see the story a graph/study is trying to tell. Professor Beeman’s class taught me how immigrant communities came to be in America, the reality of the civil rights movement and the true story of minority life in the past 100 years in the U.S..
What’s next for you?
Although I am not 100% what is next, I know I want to work in my field. I want to work in immigration, at a non-profit or an immigration law firm. I am debating a master’s program or law school but am not rushing into any decisions yet.
