Profile: Sofia Vargas
Sofia Vargas is the senior administrative associate in the Department of Media Technologies and Production (MTP). One of her primary responsibilities is to oversee the procurement process for VMA, Journalism, and MTP technology-related equipment and services. She obtains quotes from vendors, coordinates bids, creates purchase orders, and pays invoices. She manages the team of student employees who are responsible for receiving and documenting all of the technology that comes through the department: cameras, teleprompters, lighting, monitors, microphones, and more. She and the students maintain a database of new equipment purchased, equipment donations received, and equipment that needs to be retired.
Vargas is responsible for recruiting, hiring, training, and evaluating the student employees on the inventory team. She said that one of the most satisfying parts of her job is working with the students, because she enjoys her role in preparing them for the real world. She also works with the EVVYs, providing support for budgeting and large purchases and rentals for the annual event.
She supports Emerson Productions, the College’s creative video production unit, by setting up accounting and payroll for all of the unit’s clients. Departmental communications are also under her responsibilities; she makes updates to the MTP website and creates and edits a monthly newsletter for MTP employees.
Beyond her daily job duties, she sees herself as an “MTP ambassador,” building bridges within and outside of the department. She is a board member of FUSION, a faculty and staff resource group for people of color, and is the advisor for the student organization RAIZ Latinoamericana Productions. Additionally, she is participating in the “A Book Club Won’t Save Us” program hosted by Samantha Avery (Social Justice Center) this semester.
Prior to her arrival at Emerson, Vargas was a grants director in the Massachusetts community college system. She has been at Emerson for three years, and, during this time, she has enjoyed the creative culture on campus. She values the collegiality and team atmosphere in her department. “We have a wonderful group of talented and driven individuals who thrive on helping others, especially students and faculty,” she said.
Vargas is a native of Leon, Nicaragua, and grew up in a multitude of places: Nicaragua, Austria, Amsterdam, Germany, and Spain. She ultimately ended up in Houston, Texas, before returning to Nicaragua for her undergraduate education. She received a bachelor’s degree in business and international markets from Thomas More University. Fifteen years ago, she visited family in Boston and ended up falling in love with the city and the suburbs. She moved here, became an American citizen, and obtained a master’s degree in corporate and organizational communication with a concentration in leadership from Northeastern University.
She and her husband, James, live in Brighton, Massachusetts, with their dog, Riah. One of her main hobbies is traveling. She’s grounded at the moment because of COVID-19 but is looking forward to getting back to it once she is vaccinated. Some of her favorite destinations are Austria and Iceland, and she hopes to visit Africa or Australia for her honeymoon. In the meantime, she is keeping busy by going on weekend hikes at Blue Hills Reservation and Loon Mountain, along with snowshoeing in New Hampshire, where her in-laws live.
Other hobbies include going to the beach during the summer, practicing yoga and meditation, dancing, and going to museums. Another important thing to know about her is that she “lives to eat.” She explained, “Whether we are cooking, eating out, or ordering in, food is my memory muscle. I joke that I can track any moment in life based on what I was eating at the time.”
Nancy Howell (Communications and Marketing)