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Sophia Gabriel Carson ’24

December 24, 2021, in Austin, Texas.

After spending her earliest years in Pearland, Texas, Sophia grew up in Richland, Washington, and Austin, Texas. She attended Richland’s Sacajawea Elementary and Enterprise Middle schools and was a member of All Saints Episcopal Church. She developed a love for the Pacific Northwest, a love of the outdoors, and had a deep curiosity and appreciation of nature and life. She learned to play the guitar and enjoyed running, hiking, swimming, skiing, golfing, volunteering with her church family and in the community, and laughing with friends and family.

When she was 12, the family moved to Austin, where she began playing classical guitar and became a gifted artist and photographer. Sophia thrived in the close-knit community of faculty, staff, and students at NYOS Charter School, took on leadership roles in Science Olympiad and Youth in Government, and edited the yearbook. Naturally inquisitive, she founded the philosophy club and practiced her reasoning and debate skills on her parents.

Upon graduation, Sophia returned to the part of the country she most loved to attend Reed, where she majored in economics. During the pandemic, she began working at a Thai restaurant, and when the public health situation finally allowed for travel, she cooked a delicious feast for her family in Austin. True to her name, Sophia was a wise and bright light to the world. Her compassion for others was apparent in her drive to help those most in need. She expressed a passion for active engagement in the struggle for equality and justice.

A talented baker, she enjoyed creating delicious food for friends and family. Her love for animals influenced her volunteer work with cats. She fostered many litters of kittens, eventually adopting one she named Orange Julius. Sophia also claimed one of the family chickens as her own, naming the hen Untitled Document. She loved the outdoors; enjoyed running, hiking, swimming, and golf, and was a fierce debater, usually winning the arguments. Fiercely independent, she was constantly on the move, exploring new ideas and places. Sophia is survived by her parents, James and Elena Carson; sister, Isabela Carson; and brother, Nicolas Carson.

Appeared in Reed magazine: June 2022