In college, Sonya, who serves as Program Advisor to TNE, was a rugby player. Her coach, no matter the situation, screamed, “little feet!” When asked why, he said, “Because you should never stop moving your feet. Even if you think you can’t do any more, keep trying, and those little steps will eventually get you to the goal line.” Sonya now takes this approach off the pitch and into her career believing with the efforts of everyone’s little feet we can reach our goal lines and work to give all children, no matter their background, equal opportunities to excel in life. Sonya obtained a BS in Early Childhood Education from the University of Vermont and her license in Early Childhood that following fall in Massachusetts. She worked as a teacher for a foundation primarily serving immigrant families in the Boston area for the next two years. From there, wanting to pursue her passion for education and advocacy, she returned to Washington, D.C. Sonya worked for a curriculum institute working on classroom quality and teacher assessments, eventually landing her role as Senior Site Manager for Jumpstart at Howard University. At HU, she recruited, trained, and managed college students to provide a supplemental language, literacy, and social emotional program in low income early childhood centers throughout the city. During this time, she also obtained her Master's in Elementary Education from Howard University. Now, she has returned to roots, serving as the Innovation Specialist on the Design Team for DC Public Schools.