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, Agriculture, and Nutrition Innovation Center (JJK FAN) 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.