Sophia Walsh remembers being told that to become involved in politics, the local level is the best place to start.
The Lower Burrell teen is already making her mark.
Walsh, 17, was selected to be Lower Burrell’s junior council person, which is a nonvoting role but aims to provide a youthful perspective to city officials.
“Our future is the younger generation right now,” Walsh said. “It’s important they get an idea of what they want to do and believe in.”
A Burrell High School senior, Walsh plans to pursue political science in college and said she wanted to delve into politics locally.
She reached out to Lower Burrell Mayor Chris Fabry, who, coincidentally, was looking for a student to fill the junior council person role.
“Right now, it is a very important time in the world to care about stuff like that,” Walsh said.
Fabry said he has been most impressed by Walsh’s drive to hit the ground running.
Walsh came up with the idea of surveying the Burrell High School student body regarding what they would like to see in Lower Burrell, and what concerns or requests they have.
She presented her findings in December.
“I am incredibly proud of Sophia and the initiative she showed right out of the gate as our student representative,” Fabry said. “She identified an opportunity, took action and presented the results in a meaningful way. That kind of follow-through is impressive at any age, and I’m excited to see what she does next in this role.”
The most popular businesses the Burrell High School student body would like to see in the city include Chick-fil-A, Tropical Smoothie Cafe, TJ Maxx or Marshalls, a gym or fitness center, a coffee shop or cafe, thrift stores and a Chipotle, according to Walsh’s survey.
Other issues mentioned by students in the survey included wider sidewalks, adding bike lanes, more murals and greenery, seasonal festivals and road paving.
“One of the biggest takeaways from Sophia’s presentation was how different and how important the student perspective can be,” Fabry said. “She introduced ideas and businesses that council hadn’t previously considered.
“We received valuable new ideas that we can now use in our business recruitment efforts. Her efforts can shape the future of our city.”
Walsh was also pleasantly surprised by the survey results.
“It really surprised me that a lot of students wanted the same thing,” she said. “They were looking for a place that could bring people together as a community, like a hangout spot, new fast food places or arcades. It shocked me how much students in the area wanted to build community outside of school.”
Already, Walsh said one of the things she has learned on council is how to speak more effectively in front of people. She said that’s something she’d like to continue to improve on.
And if Fabry has his way, she will.
He said future reports Walsh could give include statistics on Burrell’s enrollment and graduation rates; a snapshot of student organizations, student initiatives or projects; and academic or athletic highlights.
“I hope to have more opportunities in the future to conduct surveys and help give the student body a voice,” Walsh said. “Creating a fair, democratic space for students to express their concerns is very important to me. Every student deserves the opportunities to be heard, because even one opinion can make a meaningful difference.”
Burrell High School teacher Adam Rossi said Walsh not only wants to learn the ropes of politics and leadership from council, but more importantly, wants to be a voice for young people in the community.
“Her intellect, empathy and desire to hear everyone’s thoughts and opinions will make her an extremely valuable addition to the Lower Burrell City Council,” he said.
That extends outside Lower Burrell — and even the country.
Last summer, Walsh was instrumental in getting Burrell involved with “Bridge the Pond: 2025 International Global Issues Symposium,” where Burrell partnered with Chartiers-Houston, Trinity Area and students from International School Breda in the Netherlands to examine and analyze human trafficking.
Students met live online over the span of two months for sessions that lasted about 35 to 40 minutes, Rossi said. Meetings included presentations from experts, group discussions and other research opportunities.
Burrell students worked to develop a creative, thought-provoking, comprehensive presentation focusing on the prevalence of human trafficking worldwide while also developing possible solutions to combat it, Rossi said.
The presentation will be sent to the U.S. Office of Health and Human Services: Department on Trafficking in Persons; the Council of Europe and the United Nations, Rossi said.
“We were able to effectively come together and talk about our issues,” Walsh said.
Upon graduation from Burrell High School, Walsh hopes to attend a college in Washington, D.C., and earn a master’s degree in political science or international relations.
She aspires to become a political journalist.
“I think it’s very important to be able to feel everyone has an equal share and equal say of what goes on in their community. Their opinion does matter, their voice does matter.”
Walsh said she hopes her efforts inspire more people her age to be active in their communities.
“I figured: If not me, then who?”