MPW.68 / 2016 All Things Girl by Jacqueline M. Sofia
Photographer
Jacqueline M. Sofia Doylestown, Pa.

Team Lee

Story Summary

Fourteen-year-old Sofia Kelly grew up in Cuba, Missouri, and is the youngest of five living generations of women. Sofia's mother left St. Louis to raise her daughter in a stable and loving environment, close to her grandmother and extended family.

Sofia has a down-to-earth nature and a kind smile. She embraces the opportunity to play at least one sport every season and dreams of becoming a pediatric surgeon. Despite her friends joking that she "sucks at all things girl," Sofia has also won several beauty pageant titles, including Miss Missouri in the 2015 National American Miss Pre-Teen state competition. Sofia credits her mother and grandmother for helping her to realize how blessed she is in life and for keeping her focused on her goals.