An OLLU icon

Sophia Mora, athlete and Lake Front News’ Editor-in-Chief, leaves a legacy in the OLLU community amid graduation

SAN ANTONIO- Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) public relations major with a minor in multimedia journalism student, Sophia Mora, is set to graduate this May. She will walk the stage with the many accomplishments and contributions she has made to the university, its faculty and students.

After successfully graduating from Incarnate Word High School, Mora made her way to OLLU in 2018. Among many reasons, a significant factor in Mora’s decision to attend OLLU was the opportunity to play soccer.

“I came to OLLU for soccer,” Mora said. “That was always my biggest passion, and behind school, it was my number one priority.”

Additionally, the university’s film program was also of interest to Mora as she had hopes of pursuing a career as a film editor. But once she enrolled in a few journalism classes, things changed, and she realized that she had a stronger passion for something else other than film.

“I started out as a film major and I really enjoyed it, but something was still missing,” Mora said. “It wasn’t until after I took advanced newsgathering and spoke to one of my professors about public relations that I knew I needed to change majors.”

As Mora grew closer to what she was truly passionate about, she decided to change her major from digital film and multimedia production to public relations.

Though Mora’s family and friends encouraged her to pursue her true passion as she changed majors, it was A.J. Arreguin, Mora’s public relations professor, who ignited an even greater flame within her.

As the Lake Front’s communications coordinator and reporter, Arreguin recognized Mora’s skills, drive and determination.

“When Sophia started working with Danielle [the previous Editor-in-Chief], she was timid and quiet. But as she started bringing in new ideas, she started to shine,” Arreguin said. “She genuinely started to utilize not just the social media aspect but started giving more of her opinion that truly created the vision for what the Lake Front is today.”

Arreguin believed that she had the potential to become a prominent figure both within the mass communications department and the Lake Front News. Due to this, he recommended she apply for the editor-in-chief (EIC) position at Lake Front News from fall 2021 to spring 2022.

“[Arreguin] was another individual who really encouraged me to apply for EIC. Despite the lack of confidence I had in myself, he had enough confidence in me to make up for it,” Mora said. “I know for a fact I would not be where I am today without him.”

With all of the support, Mora decided to apply for the EIC position.

She secured the role after a successful interview.

Mora has led lake Front News since the fall of 2021. Since then, Mora has made significant contributions to the organization. Such as putting out the first-ever magazine called “Lake Life,” recruiting and collaborating with new reporters and devoting more time to Lake Front’s social media platforms and team, which has grown remarkably since Mora began.

As much work and attention as is required to put towards the Lake Front News, soccer and her classes, Mora remained dedicated to working hard to fulfill her academic interests and requirements.

“It wasn’t easy to balance everything, but when you love something, it rarely feels like work,” Mora said. “One of the biggest motivators I had was realizing I was the first athlete as EIC. Athletes often have the stereotypes of putting their sport above everything, and I knew I had to prove that I wouldn’t allow the Lake Front to fall short because I was too focused on soccer.”

Mora’s drive and determination were also sources of inspiration for her team members to find their own passions.

“I’ve had the chance to work side by side with Sophia, and she has always believed in me and my skills from the start,” Lake Front News social media coordinator, Adrianna Ramirez said. “I believe that makes her a strong leader; she believes everyone has something special.”

“Sophia introduced me to the Lake Front and gave me the opportunity to write and learn,” Lake Front News digital executive editor, Samantha Benne said. “She’s a big reason why I decided to take on a double major in communications specializing in public relations.”

Besides her contributions to the Lake Front News, Mora has also reached several other milestones during her time at OLLU. She has been a Dean’s List student, a Hispanic scholarship recipient, a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics scholar-athlete, an ambassador for the Jesse Borrego event hosted by OLLU’s mass communication department and was named to the Red River Athletic Conference second team in 2021.

Mora has made a mark on the OLLU community through her leadership and persistence. Therefore, after four years of contentious effort, it is finally time for her to graduate and begin life outside of OLLU.

“After graduation, I am most looking forward to finding a job that I truly love. I think now being sure of myself and what I enjoy doing will make finding a role that I love that much easier,” Mora said. “I look forward to that ‘this is it’ moment when I get my dream job.”

Mora is optimistic about her future and hopes to obtain a job in sports journalism or public relations. Her passion for soccer makes her want to work for the San Antonio FC one day, which would allow her the opportunity to combine her interests with her profession.

Mora leaves advice for the upcoming first-year students and even future EICs as she soon embarks on her new journey after OLLU.

“My biggest piece of advice will always be don’t procrastinate,” Mora said. “Having your work done early not only relieves you of the stress of turning something in on time, but it also allows you the extra time to go over assignments and make sure they are at the highest quality they can be.”

Mora will continue to be an inspiration to the OLLU community as she makes her mark in other parts of the world in the years to come.