Capt. Sophie Faustine Hollingsworth is a former ballerina turned award-winning explorer and water advocate. Her preparation for a lifetime of contribution is reflected in her acquisition of an uncommon array of skills that uniquely equip her to have a future impact wherever the challenges take her.
At the age of 17, Sophie founded AquaAid International to establish sustainable sources of clean drinking water and basic sanitation with some of Central America’s most remote villages. Sophie’s mission is simple yet audacious: water for all, no exceptions. In 2020, AquaAid and Sophie are set to embark on Water Around the World – a worldwide circumnavigation for clean water. The initiative will enhance water resilience and start a dialogue to raise awareness and empower the next generation to work towards a sustainable future, all starting with water.
When not establishing sources of clean drinking water, Sophie is based in Sydney, Australia pursuing a Master of Health Security at the University of Sydney, for which she has been awarded a Fulbright Scholarship from the US Department of State. She holds a Bachelors in Environmental Science and Global Public Health from New York University.
Sophie has worked on yachts around the world where she sailed across the Pacific Ocean and climbed the ranks from deckhand to captain. At the time of certification, she was the youngest female to ever obtain a 200-ton Yachtmaster Captains License.
Her passion for exploration and storytelling to celebrate the global diversity of life and help create a more sustainable future has led her to undertake descents of uncharted rivers in Madagascar, desert transect treks in Namibia, and ethnographic research in the Republic of Vanuatu. All of which she chronicles on The Sofía Log and brings to life via keynote speeches on three continents and counting. Sophie is the 2017 New Explorer of the Year – her work has been featured by National Geographic, and the United Nations at World Oceans Day.