About Me

Hi, I’m Sophie. Welcome to my happy hour! 

Happy Hour with Sophie is an online community that feels like meeting up with your girlfriends to catch up, shamelessly gossip, and laugh with a cocktail, or mocktail, in your hand. Here, we talk about travel, lifestyle, and advice for twenty-something-year-olds.

I was born and raised in Miami, Florida. Miami has an immensely vibrant culture, mouthwatering cuisine, and stellar beaches. I loved growing up here. I’m a beach girl at heart and feel most at peace by the sea (even more so with a fruity cocktail in my hand).

Throughout my childhood, I had one dream. New York City. New York had always been this majestic fantasyland oozing with fabulosity, hustle, creatives, and scandalous romances. As you can tell, my idea of the city was shaped by TV shows like Sex and the City and Gossip Girl. But, at the time, I believed my life wouldn’t truly begin until I was living out my New York City dream. In my senior year of high school, I only applied to colleges in Manhattan. Much to my parents’ apprehension since I was the first person in my family to ever go away for college. 

I’ll always consider New York City to be my first love. It’s where I met my best friends for life and found true confidence within myself. It’s also where I discovered my affection for a good happy hour. Those four years were an electric time in my life. I was so young and constantly surrounded by people. I had the energy to work two jobs, study full-time, and go out every night. I never wanted any of it to end.

It was my Junior year of college when *drumroll please* a global pandemic took over the world. In 2020, it felt like the world was ending. Also, around this time, I had just quit a toxic internship with an abusive boss. I had no clue what I wanted to do after graduation. The job market I was entering was virtually non-existent and I couldn’t afford to live in New York without my scholarships funding my living costs.

To my core, I am, and always have been, a dreamer. I knew it was time for me to chase a new dream. So, I took a chance and decided to pursue a master’s degree in London. I had briefly visited London before on a family vacation, and from that first trip, I was smitten.

I applied to only one master’s program at one of the most prestigious universities in the world. If I were to be accepted, I’d have no choice but to say “yes” and embark on this journey.

A few months later, my five suitcases and I were boarding a flight from Miami to London.

Initially, I was nervous and emotional. I may or may not have cried to a complete stranger on the plane. Who did I think I was, moving to another country where I didn’t know a single soul? But despite the initial trepidation, my year in London turned out to be the most incredible, fulfilling adventure of my life. 

London is as charming as it is elegant and historical as it is vibrant. If New York City was my young and reckless love, London was my gratifying and steady love. Life slowed down, but it was never so exciting at the same time. I was head-over-heels enamored with everything about London. I created a beautifully fulfilling life with a remarkable group of women. I worked retail part-time in order to afford holidays in countries across Europe that I’d always dreamt of visiting.

I experienced solo travel, as well as friend trips. From listening to live music alone at a pub in Ireland to sharing Sangria with friends at the top of a castle in Portugal, time and time again, I thought to myself, “I was meant to be soaking up as much of this world as I possibly can.”