Sophia Szreck de Sousa Pereira
Sophia Szrek de Sousa Pereira is a rising sophomore from Porto, Portugal. She is pursuing a BS in Systems Biology at Case Western Reserve University with plans of attending medical school after graduation. Pereira is especially interested in the study of human behavior, its influences, and developing tools for improving decision making. Through SUMR, she hoped to gain more insight into the role of research in shaping policy.
For the duration of the SUMR program, Pereira is working on two projects. Under the mentorship of Jasmine Travers Altizer, she is working on the We Age project to better understand attitudes around aging across diverse groups and develop evidence-based solutions for fostering age-inclusive environments. Collaborating with mentors Andy Tan and Matthew O’Donnel, she is also testing and deploying a generative AI platform that integrates community voices in the development of persuasive message strategies for community-focused campaigns. Throughout this project, she helps design and facilitate a workshop for guiding community members in effectively using this AI platform.
When at CWRU, Pereira volunteers at hospice centers around Cleveland through Traditions Health. Her experience in hospice has led her to hope to work with the aging population in the future. Her dedication to community service is reflected in her past volunteer work in her hometown of Porto, in Providence, RI, and in upstate New York. In her free time, she enjoys reading, swimming in nature, jewelry making and working out.