Inspiring Leadership and Mental Health Advocacy

Civic engagement in the form of community organizing or in the political realm are real possibilities when Sophia Cofinas envisions her future.

And she’s off to a good start as this year’s Student Body President. Involved in student government in high school, her interest continued on from nearly her first day on the Seattle University campus. As a freshman she was a representative for the Student Government of Seattle University (SGSU), then a senator. Interactions and experiences in these positions prepared her for the ascension to SGSU president. As such she now will be able to affect meaningful change and be a voice for the student body, while working closely with the SU administration. As president Cofinas also sees the potential to inspire others as SGSU looks to grow interest in student government.

“I am most excited to be for someone else what other leaders were to me. And to know that I get to be that as I really want to inspire others,” says Cofinas, a 2025 double major in public affairs and international studies, minoring in Spanish (she spent this summer doing her first study abroad in Spain). “As a woman entering a leadership space you are going to have doubts and moments. But I can’t wait to work with all the budding new leaders on campus.”

When it came time to apply to college Cofinas had to do so during the height of the pandemic. The San Diego native was keenly interested in service and when looking at schools gravitated toward Jesuit universities, drawn to the mission. Seattle University was her ultimate choice because of several factors including location—being set “in the beautiful Pacific Northwest”—and, above all, the focus on service and a holistic approach to education.

Affecting change within communities was influential in Cofinas’ choice of majors.

“I feel like the work I am meant to be doing lies at the intersection of public affairs and international studies. As I took more classes I realized how they line up with what I want to do,” she says. “I want to work with people and for people. I want to help whatever community I am in, in whatever corner of the world.”

With SGSU, even before she was president, Cofinas set mental health advocacy as the focus of her work. This was spurred on by what she saw many of her peers experiencing—particularly with COVID lockdowns and homesickness and loneliness—and confirmed from the results of an SU survey of students. As a health and wellness senator she organized several projects throughout the year, including a mental health week during Mental Health Month.

“SGSU has changed my life. I would not be the person I am without it. I have learned so much and I get real-world experience. You are given all these opportunities and resources,” she says. “I knew I wanted to do more with mental health advocacy. I saw the need within myself and the community.”

“In SGSU you will have people who’ll be your biggest cheerleader, who just want you to succeed.”

—Sophia Cofinas

As president, Cofinas wants to continue to do work in the mental health space and implement outlets for students to get connected to campus. She’s also prepared to address challenges that may arise and remains committed to being the voice of students.

“I know that within the tapestry of SGSU I am but a thread. But I know how much impact can be made in a year. I want to be intentional with our work, with our spaces and expand seats at the table,” she says.

Cofinas encourages others interested in student government but not sure if it’s right for them to take a chance—you have nothing to lose. “Now is the time (as a college student) when you have the most opportunity and the least consequences. There is no one specific person that SGSU needs—you just have to want to be here, you have to want to care. In SGSU you will have people who’ll be your biggest cheerleader who want you to succeed.”

While she’s contemplating entering into an internship or job post-SU and before graduate school, she’s open to working internationally, possibly as a diplomat.

Her ultimate goal, or dream job, involves shattering a glass ceiling.

“I want to be Governor of California one day. I’m speaking it into existence.”