Sophia Rae

(Co-founder, Curriculum developer, youth rep)

Sophia Rae Kierstead-Abbass is a 20-year-old Psychology major at Acadia University. Her passion for entrepreneurship and youth mental health began at the age of thirteen after experiencing a deeply traumatic event that revealed to her the urgent need for youth mental health support created and led by youth themselves. Soon after, she began public speaking within the school system, addressing audiences as large as 1,000 students.

Since then, Sophia has presented in classrooms across the Maritimes, spoken at conferences, addressed the New Brunswick Department of Education, Mi’kmaw Kina’matnewey School Board, the Education Department at Mount Saint Vincent University, and classrooms across Acadia University.

This work eventually evolved into the creation of Resilient Youth, a national youth mental health initiative founded alongside her two wonderful parents.

Most recently, Sophia received the Acadia University Leader of the Year Award, was recognized as one of Enactus Canada’s Top 10 Women Leaders in Canada, and received the Top 30 Under 30 Innovator Award for Atlantic Canada.

She currently serves as President of Enactus Acadia, where she has helped lead the team to six podium placements at the regional and national levels, including a second-place national finish in the Enactus Pitch Competition against more than 75 universities across Canada for her work with Resilient Youth.

Sophia is ARC Trauma Training certified through Margaret Blaustein and also holds certifications in Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness and as a 200-hour yoga instructor.

In addition to her work with Resilient Youth, Sophia is the Co-CEO of Girl on Fire Empowerment, a national program focused on building confidence and resilience in girls across Canada. She also co-hosts Spark: A Mother-Daughter Journey, where intergenerational wisdom meets honest and heartfelt conversation.