After spending a short amount of time in her very first engineering class three years ago, Computer Aided Design, Sophia Ferrera announced, “I am going to be an engineer.” With only mild experience at the end of that year, Sophia was presented with the Engineering Award by Mr. Mingles, the Engineering teacher at SHS, and recalls thinking to herself, “Maybe I have a chance to make this a thing.” Now a senior, she has evaluated her next steps in pursuing engineering for her career.

Desperate to be in the city where there is a lot of energy, different kinds of people and more opportunity, Ferrera has applied early decision to NYU. Additionally, she hopes that attending NYU will put her on the right track to working for a good architecture or engineer company some day, possibly even starting her own business. This is totally within her reach, especially considering her “different perspective and different vision,” according to Mr. Mingles. The engineering field is in low supply yet high demand for females and is in search of someone just like Ferrera who will bring innovative ideas to the table. At SHS, Ferrera did a project redesigning the courtyard by turning the space into what would effectively be an outdoor hallway. Aside from financial boundaries, the plan was so creative that Principal Wargo was totally on board.

Ferrera values the individualism of engineering, appreciative of the fact that what you put in is what you get out. “If you put in effort, you’ll get a product that you are proud of, just like in dance.” Also an individualistic hobby, dancing has been an important part of Ferrera’s life since she was about two years old. Ferrera has grown up playing the ukulele, guitar, and even trying gymnastics, yet dance was a light at the end of the tunnel. She has competed in competitions for her dance school, The Dance Carousel in Scituate, and has a job there now. Dance has been a big part of her life, an activity she has always adored.

Dancing is strictly a hobby for Sophia, as she recognizes that she has to choose between two of her favorite activities to focus on more than the other as they are both time-consuming. Pursuing dance as a career requires more history of dance and other requirements that she may not be comfortable with. Viewing dance more as a hobby, Ferrera believes a minor in dance would be interesting. If she does not minor in dance, Ferrera plans on incorporating dance into her life to some extent: taking dance classes, joining a dance club, or even meeting choreographers in her prospective city environment. She said, “I am not trying to be a performer–I am trying to be an engineer.”

Both engineering and dance provide Ferrera with different outlets for her creativity. With her naturally upbeat, spunky, and adventurous personality, Ferrera hopes to keep chasing her passions.

Update: Recently, Ferrera received her early decision acceptance letter from New York University, and she is thrilled to join the class of 2022!