WYA warmly welcomes our new Director of Advocacy, Sofia Piecuch.
Sofia holds a Master of Global Affairs degree from the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame, where she specialized in refugee and migration policy, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies from Saint Mary’s College. Before graduate school, Sofia worked with Con-solatio in Dakar, Senegal and Afragola, Italy; accompanying vulnerable and socially isolated individuals living in under-resourced neighborhoods. She also interned with the Istituto Internazionale Maria Ausiliatrice Human Rights Office in Geneva, advocating for youth and children’s rights at the UN Human Rights Council.
As a Peruvian and American citizen, having lived and worked in Africa, Europe, North and South America, and speaking seven languages, Sofia is particularly interested in cross-cultural communication and in collaborating on person-centered solutions to bring about positive change in the lives of the poorest and most vulnerable members of society.
“Integral human development (IHD) is a lens that has been very central to my professional formation — IHD can only be achieved with a foundational understanding of human dignity! I admire the way that all of WYA’s work comes from this core understanding and I realize that this understanding is often missing from the programming at the UN and other multilateral bodies. ”
As WYA’s new Director of Advocacy, Sofia envisions growing WYA’s presence at the UN as a relevant player and consultant for civil society and Country Missions on the defense of the dignity of the person.
“I particularly envision making contacts and meeting champions who will help make the Human Dignity Curriculum and Fertility Education and Medical Management well-known and viable options in this space. This goal will also be achieved by working to increase the number of young people who are well-equipped to be advocacy advocates for WYA on the international stage,” she shares.
We look forward to seeing you make an impact with WYA, Sofia!
