Sophie Fanelli
Stuart Foundation
San Diego, CA USA
"Remember to take a break. You deserve to rest and recharge."
Career Roadmap
Sophie's work combines: Education, Non-Profit Organizations, and Working with Others
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Law
Aix-Marseille University
Bachelor's Degree
International Law
Sapienza Università di Roma
Graduate Degree
Law
University of Texas
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
I grew up in France where the education system requires students to choose a specific educational path much earlier—I chose both medicine and law because I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do.
2.
I realized early on that medicine would force me to buckle down and cut off my other passions, so I dropped out of med school and continued forward with law school.
3.
I came to the U.S. for graduate school and worked on criminal justice issues, but ultimately decided that my purpose didn’t really feel aligned with litigation.
4.
Feeling drawn to help young people, I pivoted to education and started doing education policy research.
5.
I built a career working alongside educators, families, policymakers, and students to rethink how education serves young people.
6.
Leading conversations about the purpose of education taught me that schools should help young people feel seen, challenged, and connected.
7.
Today, through philanthropy, I lead work that aligns with my values and helps young people imagine bigger futures for themselves.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Myself:
I should be the type of student that's driven by one thing.
How I responded:
Growing up, I saw other kids focusing and devoting their time to specific interests. I felt different because I didn't want to just focus on one interest—I wanted to explore and spend my time doing lots of different things. For a long time, I felt pressured to be the type of kid who niches down. Over time, I realized that my desire to try many different things and my ability to connect with many different people were actually strengths and have become the foundation for my leadership style.