*six-two 35 under 35 changemaker of 2018 – animal welfare category
When you think of the Instagram account of a young model with millions of followers, you probably picture something very different to what Sophia Esperanza brings to the table.
Nominated by animal welfare judge Aliya Jasmine as one of our 35 under 35 changemakers of 2018, Sophia is a passionate vegan who artfully mixes beautiful photos and drool-worthy selfies with a steady stream of influential posts about her passion for the vegan lifestyle.
Sophia (also known as Sophia Miacova) is a 24-year-old American model of Mexican and French descent who is well on her way towards dominating all of our social feeds with sultry poses and vegan knowledge.
Sophia has been nominated because of how vocal and consistent she is in her beliefs, and how much she prioritizes sharing her thoughts with her followers.
With more than 3 million Instagram followers and over 116 thousand YouTube subscribers, Sophia has amassed a huge following of engaged eyes, and perhaps the way she goes about sharing her message is a key reason why her following keeps growing with more and more captivated supporters.
Her Instagram posts cover everything from her thoughts on global warming, vegan meal choices, her work with PETA, adorable animal photos and her support for causes such as stopping elephant hunting and not wearing leather or wool. Her messages of vegan support vary from long and passionate explanations of her thoughts and feelings to simple captions and hashtags highlighting her beliefs.
She expands her vegan messaging on her YouTube channel with insights into her vegan skincare routine, delicious looking vegan recipes that would tempt any foodie and behind the scenes looks at her work, fitness routines and, of course, spending time with and advocating for animals.
Sophia is an amazing example of how we can all use our social networks to not only foster our careers but to also inform the masses about causes we e passionate about.
We don’t all have millions of followers to influence like Sophia does, but in our opinion, her huge following makes it even more admirable that she breaks down the model stereotypes and filter-filled feeds to show off her passion for animal welfare as well.
Follow her on Instagram and YouTube for more vegan and modelling goodness.
To learn more about the six-two 35 under 35 changemakers of 2018 initiative, and to see who else made our list, head here.