Hello everyone! My name is Sofía Pavez García, and I was raised in Providencia, Santiago, Chile. I went to high school at Colegio Josefino Santisima Trinidad, where I became the first student to be accepted into a U.S college by being invited to join Vanderbilt’s Class of 2030 with a 100% scholarship.

Stay around with my story; who knows if you’ll be like me: the next ‘first’ in your school, city, or even country at your dream college!

Why the U.S?

When looking for a country, even a continent, I was really open; however, some options had a clearer path to what I was looking for. In my case, the U.S had a handful of colleges with a great focus on their undergraduate programs; unlike the UK institutions, they were closely related to postgraduate, Master's, or PhD degrees. Moreover, I believe the U.S has more opportunities that can help me expand and accomplish my long-term goals. In addition, Chile had greater guidance and support through EducationUSA to get to know how admissions work.

And most notably, I have always been a huge fan of the American Dream, specifically speaking, since I was twelve years old. Growing up watching my favorite American high schooler characters getting into their dream colleges and the idea of being at a multicultural atmosphere surrounded by a beautiful campus, were definitely the early spark that pushed me to look for a new reality of mine, and reality that I love as much as the one I’m surrounded by family and my beloved Chile, but with 100% more action in each day and where learning takes place both outside and inside the classroom.

Why Vandy?

During high school, I had the opportunity to travel to the U.S to be part of a science camp thanks to the Embassy of the United States in Chile. The month I spent abroad made me aware of the community I was looking for my future alma mater: A heartfelt community.

As a Latin American, I wouldn’t change my community, which is so rich in human warmth, for anything. The fact that I’ll be far from home and family made me more fond of finding a community that felt like home. I believe Vanderbilt offers that, and the numbers don’t lie by saying that it’s one of the colleges with the happiest student bodies across the country. For me, Vanderbilt is a double win: it provides a vivid community with excellent academics.

I used my twenty spots on the Common App because I was determined to go study in the U.S., and I chose Northwestern to apply under their Early Decision plan. By the time decisions were released, I was really anxious for several reasons, including rejection comments from Northwestern by some of my friends, and I had to take the national college entry exam called PAES. In the end, I got deferred; then I applied to Vanderbilt under Early Decision II. And you guessed right; thankfully, I got in!

Just Like Barbie

I think of myself as Barbie, not in terms of beauty standards or anything like that, but rather in her impressively extensive career path and interests. Just like her, I find joy in a number of activities such as singing, dancing, writing, tech, and much more. From a very young age, I have been in touch with oratory and debate; likewise, I’m quite interested in various fields of STEM.

I chose to study Mechanical Engineering because it allows me to fit different parts of my life into a single space. I think Engineering requires you to think outside the box, but also demands a good expression of your ideas, your process, your projects, and your solutions. As an aspiring mechanical engineer, I acknowledge the importance of knowing how to pitch your idea and to gain visibility for the problem you are addressing.

All my interests come together towards a dream: becoming an astronaut! It is known that every astronaut needs to be an engineer, so this is the very first step to one of my wildest dreams.

Surveys, Basketball, and… Mushrooms!

Back when I was fourteen, I developed a project thanks to a grant, where I committed myself to visiting several high schools, private, public, and charter schools across my city to deliver talks to students my age on issues of our community. I remember reaching out to random people on the streets with surveys that asked them what they didn’t like about the city overall or what they liked best. Based on those answers, I collected all issues reported by those surveyed and presented the findings to the students. Then, we brainstormed on project ideas to mitigate its effects and create a better city for all. At the end, as a group, we presented our solutions to the municipality of the city.

From a very young age, I found fungus, bacteria, genetic modification, and all things related to microorganisms quite fascinating! As I dived into such an interest, I designed a machine with none other than mushrooms! Those little organisms have the ability to degrade, absorb, and metabolize toxic substances in the environment, a capacity that helped me develop my machine and put it to the test by cleaning the Mapocho River, which flows from its source in the Andes mountains to the west and divides Chile's capital, Santiago, in two, from pharmaceutical residues. To make it work, you only had to place it inside the polluted water, and a couple of days later, the water would be detoxified. With this project, my team and I were semifinalists at a regional metropolitan competition!

For five consecutive years, I dedicated myself to clearing a path at a court, not the conventional debate court, but the basketball one! I started drilling when I was thirteen with a team full of boys. When I first joined my school’s basketball team, I was the first and only girl, so I created a feminine basketball club for the many girls who signed up but eventually got discouraged by the masculine-only team. From watching my fellow boy teammates from the bench, I was the one who led a group of girls as captain for about four years in a row.

Sometimes, You've Got to Let it Knock on Your Door!

I have the type of mindset of someone who will move the whole Earth to achieve what I have set out to; however, this extracurricular activity of mine played a little differently. I heard UNICEF was working in Chile, so I reached out to them through countless calls and emails, but got no response. Still, I didn’t intend to stand by idly; that’s why when they announced they were going to be at a stand in my city, I immediately arrived. I handed them my resumé and chatted with them.

From a very small interaction, they liked my personality and opened doors for me to work with them. On top of that, they nominated me to join the Adolescent and Young People Action Board - UNICEF Latin America and the Caribbean, which is a group of young leaders from 22 countries in the region. It was born from UNICEF's commitment to the right of children and adolescents to actively participate in the decisions that impact their lives.

Being the First is Not Always the Best

As I previously stated, unwittingly I end up being the ‘first’. The first daughter, niece, granddaughter, first-ever student in my school to found an extracurricular club, or the first of my class with a 6.9/7 GPA. Don’t misunderstand me, I feel proud of it, but such a title needs a tough journey.

Being the first at my school came with a lot of indifference from my school: not enough extracurriculars, nor the support towards college advising, and lots of mocking from classmates for the mere dream of something bigger for my education. I think my school wasn’t fully ready, but I got to acknowledge that more and more young students will come out with more revolutionary ideas, and that a basic type of school can no longer exist, but rather it has to be a school that adapts to the needs of its students.

As a pioneer, I had no one to reach out to for advice from their experience. Being the first doesn’t always come with awards or honors, but rather comes with the responsibility of working extra hours, exhausting every source available, and investing a considerable amount of time trying to understand a system unknown to me at the time, especially as a test-optional student and aiming for a full ride. All without a reference to ask whether what was being done was right or wrong.

Vanderbilt’s motto, Crescere aude, is Latin for “dare to grow.” In one of my essays, I wrote about this dynamic of mine, on how this aspect of ‘being the first is not always the best’ has played a role in my life, and it has dared me to grow beyond the classroom and to create the opportunities instead of waiting for the perfect chance.

My Expectations of The Vandy Bubble

If you ask What’s the first thing you’re going to do when you arrive on campus?’ I can certainly state ‘friends’. I believe that making yourself feel at home at a new place goes beyond the place itself, but in how you make it a home. Thus, friends are the faces I’ll be exchanging laughs with during breaks or asking for advice when adversity takes place. Those are four years I won't experience at any other time; it will be my first time in the United States as a student—not everyone spends their undergraduate studies in the U.S, and I’m absolutely thankful for such an opportunity!

I have plenty of ideas of what I want to do besides hitting the books: TikToks, vlogs, hang out with friends, and enjoy the experience to the fullest. As I prepare myself to arrive in Nashville in August, I have reflected on all those years that led me to Vandy, and which could be my goals at college. During high school, I was aiming to study abroad, and now that it’s my new reality, I can focus on setting new, both short and long-term, goals and brainstorm how Vanderbilt could help me through its education to pave a path towards such milestones.

Carpe Diem Every Single Day

If I had the chance to be face-to-face with that little girl who gained her the nickname of ‘Harvard Girl, ’ I would tell her not to focus solely on the opinions others have about you. There are going to be people who will cross your path only to bother you with their criticism and jealousy, but at the end of the day, you need to know your worth and that it is up to you whether you achieve what you set as your goal. Because when you are at your peak, the people who once wanted to bring you down are not going to be there, not even to congratulate or help you in the future. Stop worrying or thinking about ‘what others will say?’, because life is what you make of it. Live it to the limit to be with those who were by your side in the darkest moments.

Secondly, I would make her see how vital it is to be grateful. You never know what life will throw at you, so every opportunity, big or small, is worth gratitude. Think as if you are at the dining table with your family and say, ‘What a meal! Thanks for it. This is so good!’ Please give me some more, someone will stand up and say ‘Of course! I’ll give you more. Well, life works quite similarly!

Finally, I would encourage her to never change who she is. Tiredness is inevitable, and you just want to doom scroll on your phone all afternoon, wondering, ‘Why am I even trying?’ It is really important to get up, but never take for granted that admission is granted; in fact, it is pretty volatile. So, what do you do? Keep pushing, keep putting the best of your effort, and give your 100% always. When results aren’t what you expect, you have the satisfaction of saying you did your best. But when the results exceed your own understanding, you can fully live it as it deserves. Smile more; sing, dance, laugh, do more of what I like, and make every day a new story worth telling.