Zonta Club of Oak Brook are proud and honored to announce our 2024 Young Women in Public Affairs Award, Sophia Szymanski, graduating senior from Lyons Township High School in LaGrange, Illinois.

Sophia credits her passion for public affairs to her dual-citizenship (Poland-United States) background and her experiences living in Poland. Sophia’s ability to speak three languages influenced her successful efforts to connect with various cultures and opportunities. This fall, Sophia will pursue a double major in Chemistry and Global Health at Northwestern University on the accelerated master’s track, where she hopes to pursue a career in international development in support of women’s health globally.

Sophia, we wish you all the best as you move further into your learning journey, and we congratulate you on how much you have accomplished so far.

• • Secretary General of two Model United Nations conferences
    • H-MUN 9 (non-profit organization that hosts a summer learning conference for incoming high school students and supports international development organizations) In summer 2023, Sophia led Hinsdale Model United Nations (H-MUN) and raised more than $19,000 for both the World Food Programme Sudan and the Amazon Rainforest Conservation Fund
    • LYMUN X (Lyons Township High School’s Model United Nations)
      Conference hosted more than 600 students from 35 schools across the Midwest and Sophia arranged to feature personalized videos from the Secretary General of the United Nations and the Director General of the World Health Organization to address the conference
  • Student Representative to the D204 Board of Education
    • Sophia was appointed and diligently worked to bridge the gap between students and administration.
    • Sophia represents 4,000 students who hail from diverse racial, socioeconomic, and cultural backgrounds, and she presents student ideas and feedback for consideration by the school administration and the board.
    • Together, they have introduced increased budget allocation for school clubs, and led their school to joining the nationwide class action lawsuit against social media companies.
  • Representative Sean Casten’s STEM Scholars Program in (Illinois Congressional 6th District.
    • Sophia toured various local STEM facilities
    • Learned about the local initiatives to reduce climate change in the Chicagoland community
  • Lyons Township High School Chemistry Club
    • Sophia – Founder and President
    • Opportunities for students to learn more about chemistry and STEM through various labs
    • Provides access to research and internship opportunities in the community
  • Youth Representative for the Medical Communications Coalition
    • Sponsored by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
    • Partners with various health organizations, such as the World Health Organization, to organize social media campaigns pertaining to public health topics focused on by the partner organization, with the goal of building awareness among youth