Sophia Young (’25, Cognitive Science & Data Science) has been selected to join the inaugural cohort of Lafayette Fellows, a graduate scholarship program that supports up to 30 American students with an interest in addressing global challenges in a French-American context. The Fellowship offers full funding for one year of master’s-level study in France as well as leadership training.
A native of Oakland, California, Sophia graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. While at Berkeley, she worked as a Cognitive Science peer advisor, ran the Transfer Student Living and Learning Community, and led student communications for the Residential Life department. Her research projects as a Fung Fellow and Social Science Research Pathways fellow focused on the intersection of technology, design, social science, and public health. Her next step as a Lafayette Fellow includes graduate studies at Université PSL–Paris School of Artificial Intelligence in the Master’s of Artificial Intelligence and Society program. In addition to acquiring technical expertise in Artificial Intelligence methods, she aspires to become a researcher and leader in policy development and the transnational coordination of efforts to promote the ethical deployment of AI globally. A lover of the arts, Sophia is an accomplished painter, musician, and ballet dancer.