Sofia Torres is a Research Analyst and telecommuter living in Nashville, TN. Sofia is interested in a range of policy areas including upward economic mobility, child and family wellbeing, and income support. At MEF, Sofia specializes in providing technical assistance to state and local TANF agencies nationwide, direct operations support for program evaluations, and collecting and analyzing qualitative data.
Prior to joining MEF, Sofia worked in community-based child welfare services. Sofia worked to provide counseling, case management, service coordination, and program intake for youth in treatment foster care and youth returning from out-of-home placements. In graduate school, Sofia conducted mixed-methods research for the Vanderbilt Stress and Coping Lab where she examined coping strategies, stress responses, and coregulation in caregiver-child dyads.
Sofia earned a Master of Education in Child Studies from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Criminology from Florida State University. Outside of work, Sofia enjoys taking her dog on hikes, trying new restaurants, and spending time with friends.