Sophia Lacroix was born and raised in Haiti and migrated to the US at the age of 15. She currently lives in Hollywood. She earned her BS in Nutrition from UF in 1992, then worked in social services full-time and as a self-taught artist part-time. Sophia and her beloved Willy became parents to their daughter in 2009, the same year she joined Florida International University (FIU) College of Medicine’s Green Family Foundation NeighborhoodHELP where she works as a Program Manager. At the age of 50, Sophia became a part-time art student at FIU to further her passion for art by pursuing her BFA. She creates bright, hyper-realistic oil paintings and charcoal drawing scenes-of-everyday-life and about her nostalgic memories of Haiti. Sophia has earned numerous awards and has been published in various books and magazines, having created and sold more than 300 oil paintings and charcoals drawings in her 27-year art career, including a 6-foot by 9-foot mural commissioned in 2008 by the City of Miami on permanent display at the Little Haiti Cultural Center. This year, Sophia’s oil paintings, “Bay Tete”, won “Best in Show” at the City of Pembroke Pines’ 17th Annual ART Competition.