Growing up in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, Sophie Clarkson initially came to UNC to earn her B.A in Political Science to fulfill her interest in how both federal and local elections shape people’s lived experiences. The logical next step was to pursue the study of public policy, leading her to enroll as an MPP candidate after graduating early from undergraduate. She elected to pursue a concentration in Education on the Program Evaluation track, where she gained valuable research experience working with the School of Education on a project studying NC Pandemic spending through the ESSER grant.

After spending the summer working at the Center for Responsible Lending in Durham, Sophie hopes to continue learning more about higher education and consumer finance policy. She plans to further develop her research skills, so that she can continue working in the advocacy sphere post-grad.