El Dorado County_Foothills_Style Magazine - November 2018

get to know
Q &A
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN
YOU GROW UP?
An artist or chef.
WHAT COMES TO YOU NATURALLY?
Making friends and playing with
them.
WHAT’S YOUR BIGGEST PET PEEVE?
Bees and flies.
WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE FICTIONAL
CHARACTER?
Elastigirl from The Incredibles. She
can stretch her body.
“Sofia opened
my eyes to
the beauty of
imperfection.”
—Jennifer Varanini
Sanchez
(Sofia’s mom)
Sofia
Sanchez
favorites
Food
Pasta
Colors
Red, silver, and gold
Animal
Donkey
Do you know someone in the
community who makes a difference
or is particularly interesting that we
should Get to Know? Email their name,
where they live, and why they should be
featured to megan@stylemg.com.
Nine-year-old Sofia Sanchez
wants to change the face of
beauty. Born in Ukraine, she’s
one of many children with
Down syndrome (DS) who are abandoned
in orphanages. Her future might have been
bleak—but one day, fate intervened.
At first, Jennifer Varanini Sanchez had
no intention of adopting a child. She already
had three boys of her own, the youngest of
whom, Joaquín, has DS. But after donating
online to help children with DS get adopted,
she was sent a photo of the child she had
supported: Sofia. “I couldn’t take my eyes
off her,” she recalls. “I thought, ‘we helped
her find a family, but why can’t we be that
family?’” The adoption process proved
far from easy, but in the end, Sofia came
home to Placer County—making them “The
Sanchez Six.”
It wasn’t until a few years later that the
Sanchez’ realized Sofia had something
special. Her social media photos started to
garner public attention, and well-known
photographers began asking to take
her picture. Then, she began modeling
for major brands, including Target and
American Girl. A video she posted online,
in which she proudly declares, “I can do
anything I want!” went viral, and she
was even invited to speak on national
talk shows, including The Today Show. For
Sofia, now a spokesperson and advocate
for those with DS, it’s about showing
other kids like her that they can lead
happy, fulfilling lives. “[DS] isn’t scary,”
she says. “We help people to be more
accepting—to be kind.”
And her mom couldn’t be prouder.
“Sofia opened my eyes to the beauty of
imperfection,” she shares.
—Amber Foster
6 styleedc.com // NOVEMBER 2018 // /styleedc /stylemediagroup /stylemediagroup /stylemagedcf
main photo courtesy of LIVIE & LUCA; other photo
by JENNIFER VARANINI SANCHEZ