Scholarship Winners

2026 Winner: Sophia Lovett

Biography:

Sophia Lovett is from Upstate New York and will be moving to Los Angeles to attend University of Southern California, where she plans to study Philosophy, Politics, and Law on a pre-law track. Throughout high school, she participated in Model United Nations and took nearly every humanities course her school had to offer because she has wanted to become a lawyer since watching the television show Suits in 2020 and seeing how confident and successful the attorneys seemed living luxurious lifestyles and speaking in legalese. As she has grown older, however, Sophia has realized that very few lawyers are actually like Harvey and Mike. What the lawyers she knows have in common is that they help people, whether through estate planning, workplace discrimination cases, or other forms of advocacy. That realization is why she truly wants to become a lawyer: to have pride and happiness in knowing that she helps others for a living.

Reaction Statement:

I feel grateful and confident that this scholarship will be used for something I value, education. I have relied on scholarships for many years for private school and will continue to in college, this scholarship is truly a blessing and earning it shows me just how capable I am. My dream has always been to go to college in California, being from Upstate New York people have tried to discourage me due to the cost of living in LA, the distance, or the lifestyle. Despite that, I never doubted myself or my goals. I know who I am, and I believe I am capable of creating a successful future where those sacrifices and challenges are worthwhile. This scholarship makes that goal feel more attainable, beyond the financial support  it gives me recognition for my work ethic, values, and discipline, attributes that I will carry into my career. Thank you, Wanta Thome, I am eternally grateful for organizations like you that value and invest into education directly through the student.