Sophia Young

TOP 30 UNDER 30 HONOUREE | 2026

About

PROFILE SNAPSHOT

AGE: 21

PRONOUNS: She/Her

HOMETOWN: Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

CURRENT RESIDENCE: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

ORGANIZATIONS:

Small Change Fund
Get on the Bus
Civil Connect
Homebase

GLOBAL IMPACT FOCUS (SDGs)

I am most passionate about:

What specific issue(s) are you working to address, and what motivates you to do so?

I am an environmental engineering student focused on using policy, research, and design to develop more sustainable and equitable systems.

I began this work at age 14 by helping to develop the City of Regina’s Energy & Sustainability Framework, coordinating a 200-person lobbying campaign, and supporting free transit passes for 36,000 children. Since then, I have worked nationally through Get on the Bus, supported by Small Change Fund, to expand public transit access for 200,000 youth across Canada.

At the University of Alberta, I research the transport and fate of microplastics in aquatic systems, supported by an NSERC Undergraduate Research Award and two Dean’s Research Awards. My work contributes to manuscripts in progress and national conference presentations.

In addition to research and advocacy, I develop scalable programs, including national youth advocacy training initiatives, and co-founded Civil Connect, a student-led design team advancing community infrastructure projects across Alberta. Whether through policy, research, or community design, my goal remains to create systems that expand opportunities for those most affected.

What are the ways in which you curate connection?

I curate connections by bringing people together across roles, generations, and disciplines to co-create solutions.

Through Get on the Bus, I connect youth with educators, municipal leaders, and nonprofit partners to co-design transit solutions based on lived experience. I emphasize collaboration, peer learning, and capacity-building rather than a top-down approach.

I also apply creative, place-based methods to strengthen connections. During a transit study in Edmonton, I coordinated an art advocacy project that engaged 45 newcomer students in exploring belonging and mobility through public mural-making.

These experiences reinforce that meaningful connection often begins with listening rather than leading.

What role will connection play in your future work?

In the future, I plan to build partnerships that enable youth, communities, and decision-makers to collaborate through conferences, exhibits, or new technologies. I will continue developing models that integrate research, policy, and design to create systems that are inclusive, resilient, and adaptable.

Sophia Young presenting at the Dean’s Research Award Festival, where she translated her environmental engineering research into conversations that connect science to the real world.

At age 17, Sophia Young leading a youth transit advocacy event in Regina, which contributed to the implementation of free transit passes for 36,000 children.

Sophia Young speaking at the press conference for a mural project she coordinated, bringing together 45 newcomer students to explore how public transit connects them to their community.

Sophia Young using the TEDx stage to challenge conventional thinking about mobility and access, turning lived experience into a call for more inclusive youth leadership