Sonia Sheryr is a second year student at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. She is pursuing a major in biomedical sciences and minoring in chemistry on a pre-med track. She is a member of the Community-Oriented Digital Engagement Scholars (CODES), which is an honors program that provides a full tuition scholarship at SIUE. In CODES Sonia and her group is partnering with the Jackie Joyner Kersee Food and Agriculture Innovation Center (JJKFAN) on engaging youth education in water conservation. She will be graduating as a junior Spring of 2027, and then will proceed to go to medical school to pursue a career in cardiothoracic surgery.