Sophie Bernstein is a junior from Clayton High School in St. Louis, Missouri, but she’s already well on her way to pursuing her dreams in social good. As a winner of our #MentorMe challenge, she looks forward to giving back to her community through her organization, Volunteen Nation, and helping fellow teens do the same.

What is your professional dream?
My dream right now is to continue to grow and expand Volunteen Nation.

How will you use the grant from the 1,000 Dreams Fund?
I will use the grant for programs to engage youth volunteers in the St. Louis region in activities ranging from park clean-ups to planting gardens and purchasing supplies for tutoring programs.

How is this helping you get closer to your dream?
Expanding our programs is dependent on funding, scholarships, and grants. The 1,000 Dreams Fund grant will help me overcome the challenge of funding these free programs.

What advice do you have for other young women looking to go for their dreams?
I have found that having a mentor and advisor is the key. I greatly appreciate this opportunity to have the chance to connect with someone for guidance. I hope more young women see an opportunity like this and go after it to help reach their own dreams.

Any setbacks? How did you get around them?
The major setbacks are financial. There is so much that we want to do and accomplish as volunteers, but have limited funding.

What’s next for you? What is your next goal?
My goal is to expand the Volunteen Nation site on an international level to engage all youth throughout the world in service.