“Passionate souls burn with a fire few can handle, yet none can resist.”
Mark Anthony
“Every time I do something, I want to give it my all,” Sarah Sopocy said, “I genuinely become so interested in it.” This Banister, Michigan native loves the Sound of Music and all things related to Julie Andrews. She is the kind of person who must research the lives of the cast & crew after watching a movie. She is the face of passion.
The extent of Sopocy’s passion lies well beyond cinema. It is present in her personal, academic and professional life; she has a passion for people. Recently, this passion drove her to become an assistant community director (ACD), an individual who cultivates and counsels residential assistants (RA) at MSU, and to attend graduate school, earning her master’s in human resources and labor relations. After graduate school, Sopocy plans to exercise her professional passion by assisting a corporation in fostering a safe work environment where employees feel valued and heard. She is aware social injustices occur in the workplace and many times go unnoticed due to lack of reporting.
“I want [to ensure] transparent workplaces,” she said. Sopocy aims to become instrumental in creating an environment of inclusion in her workplace, where employees feel as though can approach her with issues of any kind. “People should feel accepted and safe when they go to work,” she said. Sopocy plans to accomplish this by developing program initiatives/training measures geared toward educating employees about intersectionality, microaggressions and other related topics.
Additionally, when it comes to personal affairs, Sopocy has an intense passion for positivity. This has been especially helpful for her as she navigated 2020. Though the pandemic has been nothing short of bleak, she has implored herself to seek the bright side in these current circumstances. Sopocy has found joy in immersing herself in knitting, reading and spending time with her loved ones. She realized, though a trying time, there is so much for her to be grateful for. Among other things, Sopocy thanks God for her health and the opportunity to attend higher education. “I am very privileged to have the opportunity to get one [a master’s degree], so I need to make the most of it,” she said.
During this time, Sopocy feels everyone should take time to practice new or existing hobbies that bring them joy. “I think we can find good things in everyday life,” she said, “Challenge yourself to do that again. Challenge yourself to learn something new.” Her commitment to finding optimistic perspectives is exactly what we need right now. It is why she will always describe herself with three words: “pink, positive and passionate.”
She is the face of PASSION.
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