Sofia Tasoluk (she/her) is a 19-year-old climate activist from the United States representing Turkey. Sofia spent her childhood in the small town of New Hope, Pennsylvania, while spending her summers in her parents’ hometowns in Turkey and Italy. Growing up in a multicultural household as a tri-citizen and first-generation American, Sofia developed an appreciation for exploring different cultures and identities. While each location she spent time in vastly differed from the next, a commonality between them was their proximity to nature and waterways. Whether at her grandparents’ beach house in Turkey or walking along her hometown’s river, Sofia fostered a deep appreciation for connecting with the outdoors.
However, with these waterways, Sofia also saw firsthand how plastic pollution and climate change affected them. In 2019, Sofia participated in the National Geographic Ocean Innovation Competition where she presented her solution to the plastic pollution problem based on observations from her hometown’s river.
From there, Sofia took her ocean advocacy to new levels when she was selected to participate in The Island School, a study abroad program in the Bahamas based on marine ecology and sustainability. There, she engaged in hands-on learning using the island’s resources, along with research on various marine populations. However, what piqued her interest most was learning from her classmates who hailed from nations globally.
When returning home, Sofia was determined to enact change in her hometown. She earned the presidency of her school’s environmental club, where she launched events such as campus clean-ups that skyrocketed her school’s participation in environmental efforts from 3% to 35%. She then joined the school board’s facilities committee and created a school-wide initiative where she digitized over four years of energy data to propose a cost-benefit analysis of installing solar panels on the roofs. Not only that, but Sofia also co-founded an Earth Day Electric Vehicle Festival in her town to educate residents about clean energy and expose them to local environmental organizations.
Following her work at school, Sofia took her passion for conservation to be on the 2024 council for Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs, the world’s largest environmental nonprofit in the creative arts. There, a council of 13 individuals worldwide collaborates to shape Bow Seat’s educational programs and consult global projects addressing environmental challenges via the Fellowship Grant Program. Her work with Bow Seat resulted in her representation of the organization at the 2024 Capitol Hill Ocean Week as a Sea Youth Rise Up delegate. There, she lobbied staffers on Capitol Hill on ocean conservation policy, participated in advocacy training sessions, and connected with youth nationwide who share her passion for the environment.
Sofia was inspired to apply for the WOD Youth Advisory Council to collaborate with like-minded youth globally on projects centered on protecting our oceans. She is now a first-year honors student at the University of Miami studying Ecosystem Science & Policy. She looks forward to exploring the coastal city to improve the environment, connect with the locals, and make the most of celebrating World Ocean Day.