Sophia Britt

How would you describe your college experience?

No one knew what was on the other side, and the only thing beyond graduation was what I saw in myself and projected to others. Parts of it were terrifying; I didn’t have the best image of myself as a scientist and I wasn’t the most socially inclined human. Oftentimes nervousness would sink in and prevent me from speaking up even if I knew the best response, how was I ever going to make it into an interview for a job? Did I even know exactly what I wanted to be? I sought books, advice from friends, professional counsel (practically everything but a fortune teller!) trying to figure out what it was I was supposed to be beyond graduation. I didn’t even really want to graduate, university was my home for 3 years and thought the real world was much more harsh, everyone for themselves and always focused on the money. University offered open-mindedness, growth, inclusiveness, opportunity, encouragement, support, a library and sometimes free food and friends.

When did you know that you wanted to major in a STEM discipline?

I like nature, art, music and the stars. Science is the ultimate foundation for all of these. So, STEM was definitely a must, science in particular was my thing. It was one of the only things that could really be trusted without requiring blind faith. All of the answers can be sought using logic. Something about the size of myself compared with the size of the universe and the size of the electron made my problems feel so tiny and yet my existence so massive and magnificent as a human being on this tiny planet. Science was never just about the experiments for me. It was more about the real world and making sense of it all in its complexity and its simplicity. The biggest challenge for me was deciding what I wanted STEM to do for me.

What is the most rewarding thing that you do in your job as a STEM professional?

Someone asked me “if you could have a super power to help save humanity, what would it be?” I replied, “provide clean drinking water to everyone.” The most rewarding thing for me is knowing that I kind of have that super power now, protecting and serving the people that I love. I work for the state making sure that drinking water facilities are properly testing, reporting and complying with EPA standards for lead & copper. Basically, I’m a state watchdog making sure nothing like what happened in Flint, MI happens in TN. This is incredibly important to me as 1/2 family lives and works within and around Flint, MI, the other half live here in TN. I’m lucky to love where I live and have such a valuable role to everyone in it.

What would you tell a middle or high school girl about careers in STEM?

That it’s not supposed to be easy, it’s supposed to challenge your thinking and test your limits. I