This One is for Sonia
A Profile in Authenticity
In 2014, Mount Ida College held its commencement exercises on its small campus in Newton, MA. At the time, I had the honor and pleasure of serving as VP for Student Affairs and chairing the commencement committee. As was tradition, the student speaker role was filled by the Senior Class President. That year, the position was held by Fashion Merchandising student Sonia Wiggins.
Sonia embodied the persona of a sparkling dreamer. She was as creative as she was elegant, as compassionate as she was positive-and absolutely anxiety-ridden about speaking in public. When she learned that the commencement speaker would be U.S. Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy III, her self-doubt seemed to spike. In the days leading up to the ceremony, Sonia and I met several times to rehearse her speech, both to calm her nerves and, admittedly, to tighten it up a bit. Throughout our run-throughs, it was clear that Sonia wanted to do well-not just for her class, but for her family. Her mother was a tenured faculty member at Wellesley College (yes, that Wellesley College), and like many children of accomplished parents, Sonia wanted to make her own mark on academia while still earning her mother’s approval. That, dear reader, became my goal as well.
In the days leading to the ceremony, Sonia and I met to run her speech multiple times in an effort to calm the nerves (and admittedly tighten it up a bit). Throughout the run throughs it was clear that Sonia wanted to do well, not only for her class but for family. Her mother was a tenured faculty member at Wellesley College (yup, THE Wellesley College), and as would be running through the mind of most kids of accomplished parents, Sonia wanted to make her mark on academia in a way that would be decidedly her own, but meet the approval of her mother. And that - dear reader was my goal.
Sonia brought her sparkle to the commencement stage, held the audience’s attention, and even received a congratulatory tweet from a respected Kennedy.
Most recently, avid watchers of the Netflix docuseries Love on the Spectrum were introduced to Sonia when she went on a date with James, one of the series regulars. While there was no romantic spark between James and Sonia, there was certainly one between Sonia and the audience. She has become a bit of an online celeb, written up in reality TV blogs and appearing on podcasts. Sonia’s public acknowledgment of her autism-and how it was improperly diagnosed until adulthood-has provided viewers and followers with an opportunity to reflect on their own challenges and how to fight to be seen and heard. (Look, when Tony Hawk sends you an Instagram video, you know you’re a legend.)
Yet, during what should be a joyful time, Sonia is once again seeking support through a most challenging period. Her mother passed away two months ago, just before Love on the Spectrum’s third season premiere. Sonia adored her mother, and like Sonia, her mother was a legend.
I recently went back and rewatched the episode of Love on the Spectrum featuring Sonia. In it, she wears a red silk flower in her hair to match her bold red lip, and carries a purse shaped like a phone-a working phone. It’s no wonder that someone who offers up authenticity as she does is in demand. Every now and then, an alum of mine finds their way back onto my radar. Sonia’s reemergence has reminded me why what we do on campus to help develop our students is so important. It has also made me realize that, no matter how much I tried to “tighten up” Sonia’s speech, it was never about changing her message or her persona. As Student Affairs professionals, we must encourage authenticity. I cannot imagine Sonia as anything less than a sparkling dreamer, and I’m glad the world can now see it from their living rooms, too.
