Sophia Case Studies

Sophia is a 42-year-old Caribbean-American female who has been working as an Operations Coordinator for seven years. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Sophia left her job as an assistant manager of a toy company to begin a new life in Georgia with her husband and three children, Nick, Keisha, and Anthony, ages 24, 17, and 13 respectively. While she initially planned on pursuing a bachelor’s degree in nursing when she moved, she put that plan on hold and eventually landed her current job with just a high school diploma. While Sophia was seven months pregnant with Nick, she broke up with his father, Richard, and raised him as a single parent, with Richard still visiting frequently, until he moved to a different state when Nick was four. When
Sophia says that she has a very good relationship with her husband have a very close relationship and arrange date nights as often as they can. Although Devon has been in Nick’s life since Nick was five years old, the two seem to have an estranged relationship, which Sophia attributes to the absence of Nick’s biological father and Devon stepping up in his place. Sophia now finds herself torn between the constant arguments that have taken place between Nick and Devon since he recently moved back into the house. She tends to distance herself from them when they argue because she feels guilty for taking sides. She also worries that Nick will end up in jail again and is nervous that he will have difficulty finding another job because of his criminal background. In addition, she is concerned for Keisha who has not started applying to college yet as she is just unsure where to go because Georgia State University was her “dream school.” Sophia is also stressed because she feels that she should have gone to nursing school instead, but believes that at this age and with her daughter soon starting college, it is too late for her to return to