Sophia Kianni

Sophia Kianni is a powerful spokesperson for the Youth Climate Movement. Her presentations integrate science, social activism, political policy and humanitarian goals. Her personal story and passionate activism, informed by deep thinking and research, makes for a comprehensive and stirring presentation. I highly recommend her. She recently spoke to the Baltimore Ethical Society.

I invited Sophia Kianni to our “Students in the Pandemic” webinar — a panel of distinguished student changemakers whose work has impacted tens of millions of people worldwide. Sophia was a lively speaker at our panel, distinguishing herself as a passionate leader with a sternly unique vision and powerful insights to initiate global change. At Panel to the People, we always stressed that conversations are give-and-take, and Sophia perhaps best embodied that spirit through her amazing ability to form insights across different domains of work. She was a dynamic panelist and contributed significantly to our vibrant discussion through her interdisciplinary insights. Through her compelling message and powerful delivery, she inspired me and our many attendees. As a highly passionate and eloquent student, activist, and changemaker, I strongly recommend Sophia for any future speaking engagements.

The Great Lakes Research Center at Michigan Technological University hosted Sophia Kianni as the Youth Presenter for our 2020 World Water Day event. Due to the start of the pandemic in the U.S., we had to transform it into a virtual learning event in less than one week. Sophia's in-person visit was canceled and she had to reformat her presentation for interactive online delivery with no prior experience. She displayed flexibility and creativity, and created 'an awesome and inspiring presentation' that was delivered with passion and confidence! More than 60 participants attended who engaged Sophia for more than an hour during the Q & A session. Michigan Tech would be delighted to host Sophia again. I've already recommended her for several upcoming events where she would be an excellent youth role model.

Sophia Kianni spoke at the YCAT DMV international town hall on July 8th. She spoke about how she started her journey as a youth activist and what organizations she is currently involved in. She made a fantastic presentation with all of this information and presented it very well. I would highly recommend Sophia Kianni for any future speaking engagements.

Sophia spoke for our Virtual St. Louis Earth Day Festival in April 2020, providing a youth perspective on the climate movement. She was very impressive, speaking from her own experiences and perspective as a young woman in the movement, which made it personal and distinctive. She was organized, confident, professional, and prompt. She overviewed her speech before getting into the presentation, stayed within her time, and answered questions thoroughly and concisely. I appreciated that her presentation was a visual aid to her speech, rather than text that was being read verbatim. She’s a very empowering role model, especially for young women of color. Sophia’s speech brought up topics of environmental justice such as indigenous rights, intergenerational learning, disability rights, and environmental racism, sexism, and ageism. She also offered ways for people to get involved at multiple levels as well as structural changes needed to forward the movement. Sophia really was inspirational in her knowledge and passion and is a terrific speaker.

We at MUN Impact work to empower students around the world to take action for the SDGs and believe that their youth is not a disadvantage, in fact it is a strength. Ms. Sophia Kianni’s work is testament to that very statement and hence, we were delighted to have her present at the MUN Impact Global Summit 2020. Her passion for environmental advocacy shined through in the enthusiastic manner in which she delivered critical information on the climate crisis and proposed solutions to the same. Though climate change is an issue we’ve heard of frequently, Ms. Kianni was able to re-ignite curiosity and zest in our audience for the cause. Her journey with the Climate Cardinals allowed her to cite an inspiring personal story that motivated our audience. She undoubtedly has my full endorsement.