“I’ve worked closely with Sonya since she arrived at GMMB, and three traits come immediately to mind: her ability and enthusiasm to learn; her fluid writing; and her commitment to equity. She is able to quickly learn new communications tactics and issue areas not just because she’s intelligent, but because she’s curious and eager to grow. As a result, she already has a solid foundation in digital communications, advertising, research and messaging, event planning, policy, and earned media and is becoming a strong strategic thinker. She’s also a wonderful writer, who is able to communicate complex topics in an engaging way. And she proactively finds ways to promote equity, whether it’s improving our Spanish language communications or contributing to the firm’s diversity and inclusion work. She’s a valuable asset to the team. ”
About
Contributions
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How do you find motivation when writing alone?
The most important way to motivate yourself is to create a calm, distraction-free “writing zone” that helps you enter flow state. Turn off your phone, listen to instrumental music, and if you get stuck, change your location. That could be a different table or different room—and local libraries are great, quiet options that have sparked some of my best ideas.
Experience & Education
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LinkedIn
View Sonya’s full experience
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Volunteer Experience
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NYC Regional Alumni Committee Member (Former DC Regional Alumni Committee Member)
Sidwell Friends School
- Present 2 years 5 months
Education
The goal of regional clubs is to connect Sidwell Friends alumni with each other locally and the School more broadly. Regional clubs host 3+ events each year, connecting alumni; volunteering; and staying connected to Quaker values and the Sidwell Friends community.
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Event Volunteer & Singer
Gaia Music Collective
- Present 1 year 5 months
Arts and Culture
Volunteer & singer with Gaia Music Collective, a TikTok-famous music community in Brooklyn, NY.
Gaia fosters inclusive spaces through one-day choirs, open mic nights, and other collaborative projects, aiming to provide safe environments for creative expression, growth, and connection among participants. -
Volunteer
Cruz Roja Espanola
- 3 months
Children
Work with Spanish Red Cross Youth division in Getafe, Madrid, Spain. Volunteer in with short-stay Spanish patients (ages 2-18) at Hospital Universitario de Getafe. Talk, play board games, and help boost spirits.
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Volunteer
William Penn House
- 2 months
Civil Rights and Social Action
Quaker Workcamp on a Native American Reservation in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. Spent two weeks engaged in projects that promoted sustainable housing and cultural survival. Tasks included mixing clay, installing insulation, cutting wood and preparing sacred altars and sweat lodges for a Lakota Sun Dance. Also volunteered as a photographer for a family on the reservation.
Honors & Awards
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2020 Album of The Year: "Holidays with The Capital Hearings"
Recorded A Cappella Review Board (RARB)
"Holidays with The Capital Hearings" was one of nine albums selected as a 2020 Album of the Year by the Recorded A Cappella Review Board.
Reviewers also complimented "Sonya Bessalel's silky smooth performance of Ocho Kandelikas", the track on which she soloed. -
2020 ADCOLOR FUTURE
ADCOLOR
Recognized as part of communications industry-wide honor with 8% acceptance rate.
"Building on the motto of "Rise Up, Reach Back", the ADCOLOR FUTURES program identifies and nurtures the next generation of leaders who have one to three years of experience in their industry. The program provides training, mentorship and empowerment to these young professionals with the goal of supporting the talent of tomorrow, today."
http://adcolor.org/futures/ -
Mann Prize
Wesleyan University
Established in memory of Albert Mann, Class of 1906, devoted alumnus and faculty member, by his daughters and their families. Awarded annually to the senior(s) showing the most outstanding achievements in the Romance languages.
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Khachig Tölölyan Fund for the Study of Diasporas and Transnationalism, Grant Recipient
Wesleyan University
Established in 2008 by Bruce Greenwald, Professor of Economics at Columbia Business School, in honor of Wesleyan Professor Khachig Tölölyan. The award funds the summer research of a junior with the best proposal for a thesis on the study of diasporic or transnational issues. She will use the grant to travel to Spain and write historical fiction about the Jews, Christians and Muslims of medieval Spain.
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William Lankford Memorial Fund, Grant Recipient
The College of Letters, Wesleyan University
Awarded Grant for COL majors' expenses in preparation for senior theses. Sonya will use the grant to travel to Spain and write historical fiction about the Jews, Christians and Muslims of medieval Spain.
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Cole Prize, Runner-Up
Writing Department, Wesleyan University
Established through the gift of George Henry Walker '81 in the memory of Charles Edward Cole. To recognize first-year students who show great ability in fiction or non-fiction writing. Prize won for a creative nonfiction travel essay interlacing themes of India, Identity and Home.
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Gold-Level Award, Big Mixed Choirs, Young Prague 2014
Young Prague 2014
Part of the 32-Student Chamber Chorus that won a gold-level award at international festival Young Prague 2014
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Honorable Mention
Glen Echo Young Photographers Competition
Three photographs selected for exhibition. Honorable Mention in High School Category for “Laundry Day”, photograph of a woman in a township outside of Pretoria, South Africa.
Languages
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English
Native or bilingual proficiency
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Spanish
Native or bilingual proficiency
Organizations
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ColorComm
Member
- PresentColorComm, Inc. is the nation’s leading women’s platform addressing diversity & inclusion across the communications, marketing, advertising, and media industries. ColorComm Network is a national professional membership organization with chapters located in New York, Washington, DC, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Houston, Miami, and London. Served as liason between GMMB and ColorComm; helped produce and execute two events at GMMB.
Recommendations received
2 people have recommended Sonya
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