Sophia is one of the talented teens from across the country competing for a Jimmy Award next week. She told ABC7's Hosea Sanders that she has found a home in the spotlight.
"My brain just flips a switch, I just hone in and look at a spot and I'm there," Sophia said of being on stage.
Sophia, of Frankfort, just graduated from Providence Catholic High School. She has been performing all her life!
"During church, I always showed up to practice early, singing at the top of my lungs. Every second of the day, in the mornings, around the house, you can hear me belting in the shower," Sophia said. "I was like, OK stop. I said, it's time to stop playing just full-send it. Then, high school happened, opportunities opened and I was like, let's keep chasing this."
Sophia's parents, Ophelia and Walter, and her twin brother, Luke, believe her life has been a rehearsal.
"She came up to us and said, 'Mommy, I can cry on demand,' and she did it, and me, I'm scared of this child!" Ophelia said. "And then, when the performance came, we were like, wow, she can really sing, and then, should we encourage her, but this girl is, like, an honor student. She loves math and science. We could have a little doctor here."
"To see her work her craft and to see it come to fruition, it's a tremendous sense of pride," Walter said. "I am passionately excited when we do theatre things together, because I see other elements of life, and I love it."
"She's always been the same sister to me, but I'll always be impressed at what she can do, always goes beyond and beyond," Luke said.
So, is Sophia ready for Broadway?
"I think it's a great opportunity to sharpen your craft. Iron sharpens iron," Sophia said. "Theatre, it celebrates life. It celebrates humanity. To the people who have helped me, I've always considered myself a mosaic of them, of people who have supported me, of life in every step, and I will take them with me in every step to the Jimmys!"
Both Illinois contestants, Sophia and Jamaur Houston, have just moved forward to a group that makes them eligible to be finalists at the main event.
The Jimmy Awards will be presented on Monday night.