Bio
Sophia graduated from the University of Alabama in May 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies and International Studies. She began the MA program at UA in Fall 2022. Originally from Portland, Oregon, her research interests included how religion functions in Middle Eastern politics, imperialism, and the creation of solidarity movements and identities across religious and cultural boundaries. Her final MA research project focused on the shape taken by modern Ukrainian identity as evidenced in the wartime speeches of President Zelenskyy. She held a Graduate Teaching Assistantship for 2022-23 in REL and for 2023-34 worked as a teaching assistant in the Blount Schlars Program. After graduating Sophia spent the summer in Samoa, assisting with the research of Prof. Chris Lynn (Anthropology).