RE•CENTER STAFF

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Sophia Bolt, PhD (she/her/hers)
Policy and Research Strategist

Sophia (she/her/hers) is a dedicated educational equity advocate and researcher who joined RE•Center as the Research and Policy Strategist in September of 2021. She recently graduated from New York University with her doctorate in Sociology of Education. Her dissertation research explored what anti-racist education can look like in predominantly white school spaces and underscored the dangers of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion work resting on the shoulders of a single coordinator, especially when said individual is often one of the few folx of color in the space. Her research, coursework, and experience working in educational spaces to foster racial justice and equity position her well to serve RE•Center in its research and policy endeavors.  

Before pursuing her PhD at NYU, Sophia earned her B.A. in Sociology from the University of San Diego. She was deeply bothered by the fact that it was not until college that she was asked to interrogate what it meant to move through the world in a white body and the implications of a society founded on white supremacy. It was then that her passion was ignited to understand how K-12 education could work to foster a critical consciousness in students so that upon entering the world as young adults they move through the world with an equity lens and an understanding of their role in either perpetuating or dismantling injustices. She is excited to be working with an organization where she can utilize her training and skills to assist in advancing the principles of equity and racial justice in educational spaces and beyond.

In her free time, Sophia is enjoying reading fiction novels again now that her dissertation writing is complete. She also enjoys video calling with her maternal grandmother to be coached through making family recipes (and corrected on her Italian pronunciations).