Law | Television | Speaker | Philanthropy
Sophia LaFrance is a law student, a passionate philanthropist, a public speaker, and the founder of the social media platform, Empower to Succeed.
Sophia is a second-year law student at Stetson University College of Law. After completing her first semester ranking in the top one percent of her class, she received an invitation to join Stetson Law Review. She currently serves on the journal as a Notes and Comments editor. Additionally, Sophia earned a spot on Stetson's award-winning Moot Court Board.
Following her first year, Sophia was an intern to the Honorable Kathryn Kimball Mizelle at the District Court for the Middle District of Florida. After spending her summer in chambers, Sophia participated in a study abroad course entitled Comparative Trial Advocacy at the University of Oxford in England.
Currently, Sophia leads professional development workshops for young women through the platform she created, Empower to Succeed. Her goal is to inspire young women to confidently and authentically pursue their career and life aspirations.
Before law school, Sophia worked on various studio shows at ESPN covering college basketball, college football, MLB, and the WNBA on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2. She also received the unique opportunity to work on the UEFA EURO 2020 Tournament. Her work ethic and leadership skills earned her a spot as a Content Associate Captain and a mentor to young professionals within the ESPN Next program.
Sophia led various initiatives while she was in Connecticut. Within her first month at ESPN, she pitched a social media segment in which she interviewed ESPN leaders who started their careers as production assistants. Final pieces are on ESPN Next social media accounts. She also led an ESPN Thanksgiving Food Drive for local Feeding America food pantries in Bristol, Charlotte, and Los Angeles. Over 1,200 donations were made to the drive. Additionally, Sophia participated in Junior Achievement Career Day programs and a career panel to provide professional development advice to students.
On May 24, 2021, the Mayor of Wallingford recognized Sophia for her philanthropic dedication and commitment to the state of Connecticut with an Official Mayoral Proclamation. Sophia represented Wallingford at the
Miss Connecticut USA 2021 pageant and received special recognition for her leadership skills and community outreach initiatives while she was a title holder.
Sophia is a proud alumna of the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications. She served as an ambassador to the college, an executive officer within her sorority, Pi Beta Phi, a weekday news reporter and sports anchor for WUFT-News, as well as a basketball and gymnastics beat reporter for ESPN Gainesville.