Sophie Coffenberry, a senior at Hamilton Township High School and a programming & software development student at Eastland Career Center, has been involved with the Groveport Special Olympics since 2017. She recently went from active athlete to intern thanks to the skills she’s learned in the Eastland-Fairfield program. Penny Hilty, coordinator of Groveport Special Olympics, said the organization is on Facebook, but since the chapter started eight years ago, she has wanted a website to help spread awareness and recruit more athletes. When Coffenberry approached her with the idea, it was an easy “yes” from Hilty. Coffenberry built the pages. Coffenberry chose Eastland-Fairfield Career & Technical Schools so she could get a head start on her career path. This project gave her a leg up by helping develop her interpersonal skills and allowing her to practice the academic principles she’s learned. “Now when I go to college, I won’t be trying to learn all new skills but building on the ones I already know,” she said. “I chose programming & software development because I know that computers are already big in our world and will only get bigger. I saw that there weren’t many females in the program and thought I could make a difference.” This fall, she will attend Columbus State Community College where she will pursue a degree in web development and design. With the Groveport Special Olympics, she’s played volleyball, bowling, and basketball, and competes in swimming and track & field. Last year, she was named co-emcee of the Special Olympics Ohio Summer Games, hosted by The Ohio State University. She participates in the Hamilton Township Marching Band as a percussionist. You can see the all-new website at groveportspecialolympics.org.
