The College and Career Ready Podcast | empowering students for the careers of tomorrow

94. Finding Your Passion: Sofia's Journey from Uncertainty to STEM Success

• Sonia Cacique

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In this episode of the College and Career Ready podcast, we sit down with Sophia, a high school senior from Turner College and Career High School in Pearland, TX. 

Sophia shares her inspiring journey of discovering her passion in STEM during her junior year. Like many students, Sophia wasn’t always sure what she wanted to pursue, despite trying various activities like sports, arts, and writing. It wasn’t until she took a CAD course at Alvin Community College that she found her true calling in engineering and robotics.

Throughout this episode, Sophia discusses the challenges and uncertainties she faced while searching for her passion. She also shares valuable insights on the importance of exploring different interests, developing soft skills, and the role of perseverance in finding one’s true path. Her story is a powerful reminder that the journey to discovering your passion is just as important as the destination.

Key Takeaways:
- The importance of exploring various interests to find your true passion.
- How taking a CAD course led Sophia to discover her love for engineering and robotics.
- The value of soft skills, mentorship, and not focusing solely on GPA in personal and professional growth.
- Encouragement for students who are unsure about their future paths.

Resources Mentioned:
- Alvin Community College CAD
- Robotics Clubs and STEM Programs  

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"Stay well, be present, and enjoy the journey"



Sofia:

Hi, I'm Sofia and you're listening to the College and Career Ready Podcast.

Sonia:

Hi, Sophia.

Sofia:

Hi, Miss Sonia. Welcome

Sonia:

to the College Junkie Ready podcast.

Sofia:

Podcast. Hi, for having me. I'm super excited you're

Sonia:

excited you're here today. And to, for our audience, I wanted to share with them that I have known you for many, many years. You're a family friend and now I've been able to help and support you as one of my coaching students. So thank you for being here and we're gonna just dive right into your um, career journey and your education journey. Are you ready for that?

Sofia:

ready for that? Yes,

Sonia:

Awesome. Well, first and foremost, I wanted you to share with our audience, especially our students in. a little bit about your journey. So, over the years that I've known you, I know that you've been exploring

Sofia:

been

Sonia:

different interests and different paths. I'm assuming mom and dad has been like, try this, try that.

Sofia:

Yeah, they they've put me in everything from soccer, to tennis, to piano, to dance, uh, arts, and finally we reached robotics.

Sonia:

Oh my goodness, well we're going to get into that in just a minute, but why don't you tell our audience, um, what grade level you're in, and a little bit about yourself.

Sofia:

bit about yourself. Hi, so I'm Sophia, I am going into 12th grade, and I go to Turner College and Career High School.

Sonia:

Career High

Sofia:

I am very much in love with STEM, specifically, I love robotics, um, and that's a little bit about me.

Sonia:

bit about me. so, for a long time. it was really discouraging because I never found

Sofia:

So, for a long time it was really discouraging because I never found anything that I was truly passionate about. Um, I did a lot of things. I did anything from, like I said earlier, I did everything from dance, I did tap, ballet, jazz, to art. I did all sorts of art. I did digital art, I did painting, I did sketching, I did portrait drawing, um, I did oil painting, I did everything. And then we also had, um, I did journalism for a long time. Uh, I did a lot of writing, I did creative writing, I went to UIL for it, I did competitions for it, but I didn't love it. And I never understood why I couldn't find anything that I, like, loved. Until I, like, went, my mom one summer told me, there's this course, it's an engineering course, over the summer, in Alvin Community College, since you are a dual credit student, And you have all A's in all your classes. You can go for free.

Sonia:

for free. And

Sofia:

it was a CAD course.

Sonia:

I didn't

Sofia:

I didn't know what CAD was, but my mom, I was like, at the time I was like, I don't want to do anything engineering because I know I won't like it. Tell our

Sonia:

like it. tell our audience what a CAD course

Sofia:

CAD! Okay, so Computer, uh, Computer Assisted Design. Um,

Sonia:

is a

Sofia:

is a type of 3D modeling, digitally. It's like, uh, online Legos, but you make the Legos from scratch. And then you put all the pieces together to build these cool and incredible things. And I have done a bunch of CAD certifications now. I'm finishing the Onshape pathway, um, and I fell in love with it.

Sonia:

it.

Sofia:

Like, headfirst, I found that it was something I truly love because I get to use the artsy side of me

Sonia:

the

Sofia:

designs and creates new ideas and solutions for issues that we're facing in the real world and then I get to actually make them in real life. So, that is something I fell in love with. I think that, uh, It really changed my perspective on engineering, because I always thought engineering was just a bunch of programming, a bunch of coding, a bunch of, like, it changed my perspective on robotics. I used to think robotics was just coding and programming, and I had tried programming and I'm not, I don't love it. I don't love coding. I don't love programming.

Sonia:

then I found

Sofia:

then I found out that there's this, like, whole other side. robotics is, so many different, like, faces.

Sonia:

different,

Sofia:

There's everything from, like, robotics with 3D design, to robotics with electrical, to machinery, to woodworking, and it just, there's so much to it. I fell in love with it.

Sonia:

I love it. I love it. Because You started off saying that you had this this creativity in you, right? And so obviously what most people think is art and design, right? I

Sofia:

I've tried painting, I've tried, I like, I like doing it, but it just, it's so tedious It's to me that I don't enjoy it the way I enjoy 3D design, because it feels like I'm making something and it's not getting me anywhere, it's just something I made. So Yeah,

Sonia:

so it's applying your creativity, but in a different fashion.

Sofia:

Yes, it's applying my creativity, but I get to see the results of my creativity to make these real life solutions, things that impact my community, things that impact my team, and things that can one day impact my family.

Sonia:

I love that you're sharing this. Because one of the things that I share with my students, um, that I coach is finding a career that interest them, that inspires them. So not just the, the skills and, and, you know, being able to perform the job, or being knowledgeable in the job, but

Sofia:

knowledgeable

Sonia:

actually going towards a mission, or something that just drives you, that would excite you to go every day to work.

Sofia:

to go every day to work. Yeah, so I actually found that recently. so I was talking to my friend, a really close friend of mine, and he told me that, like, he had no idea what he wanted to do in the future. And I, we started talking, and then I slowly realized, after I held a summer camp for girls in STEM, for young girls, I taught them about different power tools and machinery, as well as different STEM subjects.

Sonia:

about

Sofia:

And after

Sonia:

as

Sofia:

I did that, I realized I love teaching kids.

Sonia:

I

Sofia:

So, my solution to that would be to start a robotics team, an FRC team, FIRST Robotics Competition, which is what FRC stands for.

Sonia:

in

Sofia:

For kids in low income situations, because, a lot of my family comes from lower income. so it, and I've seen a lot of close family friends come from, like, lower income, uh, when we, I'm an immigrant, so when we came to America, we didn't have much.

Sonia:

I want to give that opportunity to

Sofia:

I want to give that opportunity to kids who are in lower income to, uh,

Sonia:

in the

Sofia:

To be able to experience STEM in the way I experienced it and develop a passion for it in the way I developed a passion for it. And I want to see them grow and flourish and really, like,

Sonia:

like, I

Sofia:

I want to see them really develop their talents and skills and grow into a person who is a successful professional.

Sonia:

I love that. I love that because this vision is bigger than you. Like, It's just something that you're not just focusing on what you're going to achieve, it's what you're going to achieve for the world and for

Sofia:

what you're going to achieve, it's what you're going to achieve for the world and for others. Can really make a difference in the way you continue with your pathway and like the way you form your goals and shape what you want to do in the future. So for me that was not only my parents who did inspire me very much my dad's an engineer and he He is one of my biggest inspirations And I look up to him so much but also my robotics mentors, um, their names are miss cara and Uh coach andrew And coach is our, he's the lead coach for the robotics team. And then Miss Kara leads the initiatives for the robotics team, which I'm heavily involved with. She helped me plan the summer camp for the girls. I'm so thankful to her, but when I see them make this remarkable, incredible change in so many people and influence so many kids to pursue their passion and give them the ability to. Develop these skills and really experience what first is.

Sonia:

look

Sofia:

I look at them and I am so enamored with the idea. It's

Sonia:

incredible to see it

Sofia:

So incredible to see it happen and to be a part of it

Sonia:

I wouldn't change

Sofia:

I wouldn't change that for anything

Sonia:

me a little a little bit about what you've shared with me, uh, off camera. Off, um, off air about some of the advice that those teachers shared with

Sofia:

Yes, so actually part they were they also shared with me this advice Coach and Ms. Kara,

Sonia:

along with

Sofia:

uh, along with my CTE teachers at school. Uh, I'll say their names, Ms. Hooper, Mr. Tulati. They all shared with me the advice that my GPA isn't the end all, be all.

Sonia:

to focus on developing

Sofia:

need to focus on developing those skills in life. Any Um, making connections with people and really creating myself into, or like, shaping myself into a professional who has, who's worth their

Sonia:

that make sense? Yeah, absolutely. Yeah,

Sofia:

And, is this advice

Sonia:

is this advice that you would, well, let me back up. Share with our audience what a CTE teacher is.

Sofia:

Yeah, so, um, Career Technical Education, uh, is a career oriented and career focused, program that focuses a lot more on skills that you will use in your everyday career life than the technical, uh, classroom skills like the math skills you learn or the biology like you learn. And while those skills are incredibly important, I am a hard believer that these CTE courses teach you the soft skills you need to be a successful professional. And it's really sad because most of these CTE courses are 4. 0s, meaning that a lot of kids who are involved in the GPA game don't take these courses.

Sonia:

take those

Sofia:

And while they may have a really high GPA and get into a really good college, they take that mindset with them into college and they only focus on their grades. They don't go into clubs or into societies or make friends or talk to their teachers and that prevents them from connecting, creating these connections that are so important. And it also prevents them from um, gaining experience, real life experience, which internships are so incredibly important because of that. Um, but,

Sonia:

that's why

Sofia:

That's why I feel that CTE courses are really, really, really important to any kid who is going into high school and looking to go into the workforce, going into a four year university, or going into college. Because those soft skills will get them through college and make them a

Sonia:

make them

Sofia:

successful professional. And

Sonia:

that I tell our audience that it's so essential to make those connections, real world skills, character development, soft skills, no matter whether you're going to a community college, a technical certification, or you're going to a four year program, or even a master's program, you need these skills as early on in your education journey.

Sofia:

journey. Yes, these skills, I'm so incredibly thankful, again, Mr. Tolati, Ms. Hooper, so much. Coach Andrew, Miss Cara, I'm so, so incredibly thankful to them because they have showed me that the GPA is important, but it isn't everything. You can't put all your eggs into one basket. You can't solely focus on your GPA because then you miss out on these real life experiences and these real skills that are needed when you actually go into the workforce. Absolutely, and

Sonia:

And I would love to one day get to meet these teachers. Because they sound amazing.

Sofia:

am sure they would like to meet you too. Oh

Sonia:

my goodness. And, okay, so, um, to give everyone context, when did you take your first robotics, course that you took at, the community college?

Sofia:

So, I took that in the summer of twenty, uh, I could be mistaken, but summer of 2022. 2022? For

Sonia:

Was it sophomore or junior

Sofia:

Sophomore summer.

Sonia:

Going into sophomore. year. Okay. So, that's

Sofia:

So, sophomore year, I took My first engineering course with one of my favorite teachers, Dr. Myers, who also advocates for this all the time. He always states that, he went to Rice, actually, but he's a hard advocate. He's a CTE teacher. He's a hard advocate for soft skills, and he said I wouldn't have gotten into Rice without those connections, without those skills, without those experiences.

Sonia:

skills, without those experiences. Okay, beautiful. And so you took that in your sophomore year. When, and I, feel though, that in this last year, maybe last couple of months, everything just came clear and came full circle. Is that correct?

Sofia:

right. So, I joined robotics. Later than many other people, uh, I joined my first season was last season. I was a little bit involved the season before that, but I wasn't dedicated. Last season I dedicated myself and I led an initiative in robotics that is for women in STEM and an initiative is basically a program we create, um, that connects girls with other girls in STEM so that they feel that they have a support system that they feel, they feel understood. In STEM, because we are a minority. so I led that with another, uh, with another friend of mine on the robotics team. She's great, she's amazing, she has more experience than me, and she has helped me so much. really, seeing

Sonia:

and working

Sofia:

getting to work on the robot, like, having a team and working towards a common goal.

Sonia:

hmm.

Sofia:

And seeing people change and learn and really evolve into a better engineer

Sonia:

me. I love

Sofia:

is what inspired

Sonia:

to work

Sofia:

to work with the kids, with mentoring them, that inspired me. Getting to work at the day camps, the summer camps, getting to plan my own summer camp, getting to mentor kids at their schools. It's, I have never experienced anything so rewarding than for a kid to come up to me and be like,

Sonia:

be

Sofia:

I love STEM

Sonia:

STEM.

Sofia:

I, you taught me so much, thank you. Or it,

Sonia:

as rewarding

Sofia:

there's nothing as rewarding as that, to say that I was able to inspire someone to pursue a passion, something that I'm so passionate about, something that I love so dearly. And

Sonia:

love so dearly. And,

Sofia:

That inspiration, I wouldn't have found it without my mentors or without my teachers. Because they work every day to inspire people.

Sonia:

they're not giving up, because I'm assuming that in those times when you would try something, try something else, and It wouldn't work out, that feeling must have been

Sofia:

was, it, I deeply feel for anyone who went through that because It's so discouraging. It's discouraging to try and try and try new things every year, not being able to find a community that you relate to, not being able to find something that sparks that passion in you,

Sonia:

going. And

Sofia:

and to just have to keep going. And it's so discouraging. But I promise that just, Even if you don't think you'll like it, try it. Keep trying because You will never know when you find something. I did not think I would like robotics and I Love it so much. It's my entire life I work on it all the time everything from I worked on it last night Like I was writing grants for my team and for smaller teams. I was i'm helping teams write grants and

Sonia:

write grants. And

Sofia:

It takes time and it takes effort to keep trying and it's hard. It, it will get, you will be discouraged, unmotivated because you can't find what you're really passionate about. But once you find it, it's something that is completely different and it's so worth it because you get to spend the rest of your life pursuing it and when you find what does spark your passion, it's just a completely different feeling.

Sonia:

Absolutely. And For our audience, you don't, you can't see her, but I can tell you that I've known Sophia for many years and the spark in her eyes, the joy, the excitement, um, when she talks about it, I can see, I can see the passion, so we, we couldn't even describe in words what, what that feeling is, but you'll know, you'll know. when it, You, get it.

Sofia:

I just want, I'll tell the audience, I, really hope these words reach you, because being able to

Sonia:

what you

Sofia:

do what you love for the rest of your life is a feeling that I've never experienced before, until now.

Sonia:

until

Sofia:

I reached robotics, and I reached STEM, and reaching that point where I'm able to inspire someone to pursue what they love and able to inspire someone to pursue the passion I have, I'm, I'm in love with it.

Sonia:

I love it.

Sofia:

and I promise if you keep trying, you will find it eventually. You will find that passion, you will find what makes your heart beat.

Sonia:

thump. Yeah.

Sofia:

Like, thump, and makes you, like, makes the adrenaline go up and makes you happy and smile, and you never want to stop doing it.

Sonia:

Absolutely. It's just not to give up. keep trying, And, just build yourself up, surround yourself by the community. by People, because they're the ones who are going to be able to open doors that you might not have even thought of.

Sofia:

of.

Sonia:

So, um, for our audience, why don't you give So I'm going to give you a couple of top tips that you can think of, for students who are in high school or in college, that they're still like, I haven't found that passion. So

Sofia:

So, my first tip I would give you, don't give up. Keep trying new things. You never know what you're gonna find. Sometimes it might not be what you expected, but once you find it it changes your perspective on your career and your life.

Sonia:

my second

Sofia:

And my second tip would be

Sonia:

but they're

Sofia:

care about your grades, but they're not the end all be all.

Sonia:

those

Sofia:

You need to develop those soft skills and you need to develop those connections and experiences to really move on to the next level of your life, to the next level of your career and to the next level of yourself as a professional.

Sonia:

as

Sofia:

Because those are the experiences that develop a successful person, and Those are the experiences that develop a successful professional.

Sonia:

Yeah, I love it. And you know, um, you are our first high school student to be on our podcast, so

Sofia:

I'm

Sonia:

I wish you nothing but the best. We'll still be working together in your pursuit of entering college next year, and I can't wait to see all the experiences that you're going to have in your college years. so thank you so much for being here with us.

Sofia:

with us. Yes, so much for having me. I hope that these words reach you well, and I hope that you continue searching or pursuing your passion.

Sonia:

Thank you so much.

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Sonia Cacique

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