Born to an American mother and an Austrian father, Sophia spent the early part of her childhood between the two countries. Her bicultural experience even influenced her teachers in Colorado who adopted Austrian arithmetic techniques she’d learned overseas. During our conversation, she shares stories about her love of science and medicine and projects she pursued since her teenage years to her time at CU Boulder. She also offers evidence-based advice on why each of us should aim to get quality sleep! As a medical student at HMS, Sophia’s enthralled by the early opportunities to immerse herself in patients' stories and sees the application of science to alleviate suffering as her purpose for entering medicine.