Catching Up: 2018 YWPA Winner Isabella Sorgi

 

Isabella Sorgi

Back in 2018, Isabella Sorgi, then a senior at Mercy High School in Riverhead, won the Zonta District 3 Young Women in Public Affairs Award (YWPA) as well as an award from Peconic Bay Zonta, which sponsored her YWPA application to Zonta International. Recently, Sorgi sent a note of appreciation to our club, writing, “Zonta will always hold a special place in my heart given it was the first substantive confirmation of my volunteer work, service, and advocacy.”

Isabella Sorgi with members of Zonta District 3

After winning the Zonta awards, Sorgi enrolled in a small program at the New York University Stern School of Business that focused on social impact learning and global experiences, in addition to business fundamentals. She explained, “Much of my coursework emphasized the need to integrate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations into decision-making, thereby encouraging companies to accept societal responsibility within their business model.” 

Practicing the skillset she learned at Stern, Sorgi spent summers consulting for non-profit organizations with a social impact mission and volunteered at the Westhampton Beach Historical Society to help grow their community outreach efforts. 

Upon graduation in May 2022, she accepted a position as a consultant at AArete, a Chicago-based consulting firm. She said, “At AArete, I seek out work that encourages businesses to adopt strong ESG principles, while also growing the company’s volunteer and outreach efforts within the Chicago community.

"Under my leadership, the firm’s internal pro bono group has supported various non-profit organizations in Chicago and across the country. For example, in 2023, we helped maintain an urban farm that feeds refugee families, shipped handwritten cards to cancer patients across the country, and raised money for a nearby animal shelter. In addition, I manage the relationship with AArete’s primary charitable partner, Mercy Home for Boys and Girls, and continue to identify additional avenues of support. Mercy Home is a wonderful non-profit that provides housing, educational support, and career guidance to children who have experienced abuse, neglect, or violence.”

Peconic Bay Zonta is proud of you, Isabella, and wishes you continued success in your promising career.