Today, on what would have been their birthday, we remember and honor Sonia Koopersmith, Assistant Director of Partnership Development at OppNet. Sonia was a queer, non-binary, Latinx native Texan who grew up in the KIPP charter school network. After serving as a high school college counselor and instructor, they spent the latter half of their career creating and evolving leadership-, professional-, and youth-based development programs, supporting students in K-12 and higher education spaces, and leading diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. They earned their B.A. from the University of Chicago and their M.A. in Educational Leadership, Politics, and Advocacy from New York University.
At OppNet, Sonia channeled their commitment to social justice and passion for young people into the collaborative design and development of OppNet’s Career Fluency® Partnerships program. Their talent for building authentic connections perfectly complemented their work in cultivating relationships with value-aligned schools, organizations, and professionals in the field. Sonia’s contributions to the team were invaluable. Their work has enabled the OppNet team to activate purposeful opportunities for community-informed, racial-equity-driven partnership growth and contributed to deepening our impact across the country.
Sonia was a community builder with a sparkling, dry wit and glowing, unflappable positivity. They kept the team laughing and connected. Their intentionality and community-centered approach have left an indelible mark on OppNet and the lives of everyone they touched. We’re so fortunate to have had them on our team and as part of our community.
In our remembrance, we also give thanks to the Bezos Family Foundation for making a generous gift in Sonia’s honor; Sonia was a part of the prestigious Bezos Scholars Program while in high school, centering their Scholar project on equitable college access, and also returned to the program in 2014 as an educator Scholar. A community member from the Bezos Scholars Program shared that Sonia “embodied what it means to be inclusionary, was a true advocate for students, and strove for equality and justice in everything they did.” We couldn’t agree more. Sonia’s brilliance will live on through the work they contributed and the lives they impacted, at OppNet and beyond.
