Team Member Highlight: Sophie Stoddard

“I was supposed to be in the Middle East this summer.”

Sophie’s voice exudes positivity as she shares about her unlikely turn of events.

With just one year of college left, her plans to travel abroad fell flat. She quickly shifted gears in search of a summer job, even posting on Facebook in hopes of the right connection. This time, her hope was not disappointed.

A native of Wake County, Sophie has spent each of her 21 years of life in Raleigh and Wake Forest—an area, she says, that has grown significantly in that time.

One of the biggest changes, perhaps, has been the community’s cultural demographic shift over those decades, as it has become a popular landing pad for immigrants and refugees. For Sophie, her first introduction to the refugee community came in middle school, when a Burmese family showed up in church, their telltale traditional-garb setting them apart.

“They were incredible,” remembers Sophie. “They were Christians who had just arrived that week. They had to leave Burma because of ethnic cleansing.”

That single incident opened their church’s eyes to the plight of refugees, compelling them to become more involved. Her dad became head of a refugee initiative, and they spent the following years learning how to best walk alongside and empower these individuals to help them succeed.

As a homeschooler, Sophie had more freedom than most teens her age—freedom she spent accompanying her parents as they took refugees to doctor’s appointments, taught them how to use the bus system, and more. When her family transitioned away to plant a church in Wake Forest, the ministry continued, eventually forming a non-profit.

Despite the move, Sophie’s passion for the international community continued to grow. In high school, she spent 3 months in China. After, she returned home to a 3-month internship at Refugee Hope Partners, the ministry-turned-nonprofit that her family had been involved with years earlier.

“It was refreshing,” Sophie shares. “I was able to understand in a heightened way as an adult. I became passionate about finding ways to empower the refugee community. So many of these families have looked into the face of brokenness and still see so much hope. It reminds me of how resilient they are.”

That fall, Sophie started college at NC State where she began working toward earning her major in business administration with a concentration in entrepreneurship and a minor in both Nonprofit and Middle Eastern studies.

“NC State is big on ‘think and do’,” Sophie explains. “I spent a lot of time in hands-on-learning environments, doing a lot of clinical work with different organizations.”

But as the school year wrapped up, she wondered where her journey would lead her next. Which brings us back to Sophie’s Facebook post; back to a timely response with a promising lead.

Acknowledging Sophie’s business education and love for the refugee community, a mutual friend reached out about an internship at Amplio Recruiting. After hearing more about Amplio’s mission and services, she knew this was a great opportunity to “get her feet wet” putting both her knowledge and passions to work.

She met with Tucker Stephens, Raleigh-Durham location’s ambitious new managing director, who immediately recognized the incredible value her education and experience could bring to the company, and granted her the internship.

Dedicated and friendly, Sophie wasted no time jumping in to help with anything and everything. From returning e-mails, to meeting with prospective clients, to shadowing interviews and first days, she has stopped at nothing short of doing whatever it takes to care for clients and employees alike.

While Sophie’s internship is drawing to an end, her career with Amplio is just getting started. This month, she became the company’s newest team member and is excited about her new role as Account Associate.

“Something that stands out about Amplio is the genuine care they have for people. Their belief that people are valuable because they are made in the image of God is so clearly shown in their relational approach,” Sophie shares, “Knowing that what I do plays a part in making that happen is really sweet.”

“Sophie is phenomenal as an employee and a person,” Managing Director, Tucker Stevens shares. “Her personal involvement with social causes has given her a unique approach to serving others well. We actually had to fight with a few other companies to keep her! We fully expect Sophie will continue to excel with Amplio and engage our refugee neighbors well.”

At Amplio, we are proud and excited to welcome Sophie to the team. Together, she and Tucker cannot wait to connect great Raleigh-Durham and Research Triangle companies to their local, dependable refugee workforce.

If you’re a Raleigh-Durham business looking to reduce turnover and build your team, we would love to connect to tell you about the benefits of working with Amplio. Visit our website or give us a call today to get started.