Support
Sofia Manne ’27 spent the summer as a Neuro-Fit Intern with Supportive Living, Inc., working directly with individuals with acquired brain injuries (ABI) and neurodegenerative diseases. Through the fellowship, she implemented personalized fitness and wellness plans while gaining hands-on experience working with individuals with a wide range of abilities and needs. The experience gave her a new perspective on neurological conditions and the ways exercise and rehabilitation can support both physical function and quality of life.
One of the most meaningful parts of Sofia’s experience was witnessing the determination of the individuals she worked with. Many participants, particularly those recovering from strokes, continued to work toward improvements years after their injuries. Seeing participants consistently show up, challenge themselves, and make progress changed the way Sofia thinks about neurological recovery. The experience showed her that recovery does not necessarily follow a fixed timeline and sparked new questions about how neuroscience research can better understand and support life after ABI.
The fellowship also helped Sofia better understand how this experience connects to her future goals in neuroscience research. She came to recognize an important connection: behind every dataset is a person. Working directly with participants gave her a deeper understanding of how neurological conditions affect everyday life.
Throughout the summer, Sofia developed skills in facilitating functional assessments, safely transferring participants, creating and adapting exercise plans, and communicating with individuals with neurological conditions. She also strengthened her patience, adaptability, and problem-solving skills. These experiences have helped affirm her interest in pursuing graduate study in neuroscience and have encouraged her to continue exploring questions related to neurological recovery, neurodegenerative disease, and computational approaches to neuroscience.
Sofia’s next steps will include completing a Senior Year Experience research project in neuroscience and an Honors Senior Year Experience project in statistics. She hopes to carry the perspective and questions developed through her fellowship into these projects as she continues preparing for graduate study and a career in neuroscience research.
Sofia is deeply grateful to the donor whose support made this fellowship possible. The fellowship provided her with an opportunity to learn outside of the classroom, work directly with individuals affected by neurological conditions, and gain a clearer understanding of the researcher she hopes to become. The experience will continue to shape her academic work, research interests, and future career, and she is grateful for the opportunity to have learned so much from the individuals and community she worked with throughout the summer.