Sofie was about 9 years old when she noticed the gender inequality around her. From the textbooks that divided the trades for girls and boys, to the teachers who gave the girls more time to finish the problems. Then, inspired by Emma Watson’s speech on gender equality, she wrote to the United Nations. Together with the United Nations Foundation, she founded the organization Girl Up Romania, which supports gender equality and “girl empowerment” in Romania, dedicated strictly to teenagers.

The organization, currently formed by 60 high school students in 21 cities and towns across the country only one year after its founding, has had dozens of country-wide initiatives such as in-school conferences and workshops, support groups, awareness campaigns, protests, and school strikes, with a particular focus on gender-based violence. They’ve lobbied in the US Congress for global access to education for girls, have been quoted in the Romanian Parliament, and their work has been recognized by several NGOs, as well as Romania’s Royal Family.

Sofia is a Teen Advisor for the United Nations Foundation “Girl Up” initiative, working closely with staff to advance gender equality on a global scale, and is an avid writer with work in several notable publications. Through all of her work, she has grown and learned to speak words that are now less of a personal tool and more of an echo for her generation.

As founder and president of the first and currently the only gender equality organization for teens in Romania, she works to offer a platform for teenagers to advocate for equal opportunities through campaigns, events, and lobbying.