This year, our amazing DLP student ambassadors, docents and advocates met with our Board of Directors during our annual meeting. This year’s Ellie Lainer Youth Leadership Award Recipients were able to meet Ellie Lainer, who the award is named after.
DLP Ambassador Sophia Viorata Advocates for Holocaust Education at the Annual DLP Board of Directors Meeting
DLP congratulates Sophia Viorata on graduating from Oxnard Middle College High School in Oxnard, CA! Sophia has been a DLP student ambassador and docent. She was one of the Ellie Lainer Youth Leadership Award Recipients in 2022.
Sophia will be attending University of San Diego majoring in chemical engineering. She is the first person in her family to be attending college in the US.
Sophia has always had an interest in the Holocaust and how the atrocity was able to take place so recently in history. Her interest was further sparked when she realized the lack of Holocaust education in her community.
“I was talking with my friends, and as we chatted the topic of Hitler came up; one of my close friends chimed in to ask who Hitler was. Though I was shocked at her question, I realized it wasn’t her fault. I realized that everything I’d learned about the Holocaust had been through my own pursuit of information rather than work in the classroom. From there I knew I wanted to educate my community on this important topic, and was introduced to the David Labkovski Project by my High School teacher.”
Sophia’s teacher, Dr. Kim Stephenson, told her about the DLP Student Leadership and Docent Training Program and encouraged her to apply.
“Through the David Labkovski Project I became a student docent, and gained access to more resources and a network of people who were willing to help me educate my community. I also gained a host of new experiences and opportunities, such as meeting my amazing fellow docents, curating a virtual exhibit, and taking part in a DLP internship this summer. All of which have opened up my horizons and introduced me to different perspectives.”
