‘A Lot of Hope for the Future’
After completing an internship at the National Geographic Society, Sofia Hegstrom '26 is ready to create a more sustainable future
Sofia Hegstrom ’26, a double major in environmental policy and history, was among five college students across the United States to receive the prestigious Jeff Ubben Posse Fellowship this past summer.
Along with a $10,000 grant, the fellowship provided Hegstrom with an internship with the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C., where she shadowed Jill Teifenthaler, the first female CEO of the National Geographic Society. Before joining National Geographic, Teifenthaler served in higher education as president of Colorado College and provost of Wake Forest University.
The Jeff Ubben Posse Fellowship pairs outstanding college sophomores with national leaders in key workforce industries, including the arts, media and entertainment, STEM, law and government, education and nonprofit, and business and finance.
“I learned so much about running an organization, such as evaluating programs, what’s working and the metrics that tell you that, and where the money is going,” Hegstrom said. Her tasks included working with National Geographic’s Perpetual Planet Expeditions, whose teams document the impact of climate and environmental change on the world’s most critical ecosystems and identify solutions to protect them.
Led by multidisciplinary teams of National Geographic Explorers, who are experts in their fields, Perpetual Planet Expeditions applies scientific expertise and technology to help solve conservation challenges. In her work this past summer, Hegstrom helped local scientists in the Amazon create educational programming for kids who live in the rainforest region.
Teifenthaler praised Hegstrom’s contributions, attitude, and eagerness. “We had some great conversations about a legacy organization with a complicated colonial history, and how we’re building a more diverse portfolio of Explorers and storytellers,” she said. “Sofia is amazing, so thoughtful and committed, and obviously bright. I was incredibly impressed with not only her intelligence but also her emotional intelligence and how gracefully she entered all kinds of spaces with so many different people.”
A legacy of leadership
This gift for connecting easily with others and turning ideas into action came relatively early in life for Hegstrom. While a student at Carnegie Vanguard High School in Houston, she started a multiracial student-affinity group.
Hegstrom, who was raised by a white father and Vietnamese mother, said, “As someone who didn’t feel that I fit in completely, I saw a need and did something about it, and it was meaningful to create that space for others, too.”
Her ability to initiate ideas and lead projects stood out to her school counselor. Posse Scholars are nominated by their high school or a community organization for showing strong leadership, academic merit, and the potential to thrive in college.
Hegstrom came to Colby from Texas in 2022. She is one of 700 students across the United States who are awarded full-tuition educational opportunities by the Posse Foundation every year. Since 2003 Colby has been a Posse Foundation partner, enrolling several Posse Scholars with each new class of incoming first-year students.
Hegstrom chose Colby because she knew its historic environmental studies program would “give me a well-rounded education and a better understanding of how the world works and my role in it,” she said. “You graduate from here as a global citizen.”
Her interest in environmental conservation, history, and improving youth access to education came together for Hegstrom during her experience at the National Geographic Society. She completed her summer internship with enthusiasm about returning to her community in Houston to work for environmental change.
“I grew up acutely aware of natural disasters, and how reliant our state and country are on the oil and natural gas industries. I want to help create a sustainable future with those and climate change in mind,” said Hegstrom.
“And I want to inspire people to love nature where they are. As a wider culture, we think of mountains and clear lakes as the epitome of nature, but the bayou and swamps are no less valuable or worthy of conserving. I truly believe it takes just one person to make a difference. Imagine if every kid had access to the nature and education I do now. It gives us a lot of hope for the future.”
