By Bekah Medley and Hank McIntire
Sophie Bello, Wood research assistant at the UVU Center for Constututional Studies.
At an early age, Lehi native Sophia Bello learned to play the piano, following the example of her siblings.
“But after three years at the keyboard I decided I wanted to be different,” she said. “I asked my parents for a violin and took lessons from a neighbor.”
“Mom and Dad didn’t push me,” Sophia remembered. “I had a passion and made sure I did my best,” she said. “Violin taught me a lot of discipline, and I put in the hours.”
Wanting to be challenged beyond the orchestra classes offered in school, Sophia joined the Vivace Orchestra, sponsored in part by the Timpanogos Arts Foundation, in nearby American Fork.
“In time I moved up to first chair,” she said. “We performed at Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City. It was a fantastic experience.”
Sophia’s connection to the performing arts didn’t end there. “I was also president of the ballroom team at Lehi High School. “I love the waltz, especially the Viennese waltz.”
Her commitment to excellence went even deeper than music and dance, however.
“In high school I really liked history and math,” Sophia said. “Both have analytical aspects, and I liked solving problems.”
The visit of college representatives to her high school during her senior year proved pivotal for Sophia.
“School has always been important to me, and I wanted to get the most out of my education,” she recalled. “The UVU reps told me about their honors program. They explained that every semester you contract with a professor to do a project or extra readings and also commit to give service.”
Being nudged to work harder as a potential UVU student appealed to Sophia—that and the fact that her dad Paul was an alum, having graduated 30 years ago in Construction Management, and he is still in that field today.
Enrolling at UVU in 2024 in the honors program, Sophia chose to major in History. “My mom Heather was an Art History major at BYU,” she explained. “She inspired me in the history aspect of my degree.”
Wanting to minimize time the commuting to her job, Sophia began looking for on-campus employment opportunities.
“I saw some flyers for the Center for Constitutional Studies’ master’s program and the study-abroad at Oxford,” she said. “It sparked my interest in Constitutional Studies, which became my minor, and I came to the Center and found out they were hiring. I threw my hat into the ring.”
In January 2026 Sophia started as a research assistant on the Quill Project, which creates digital models of the negotiations that led to the creation of the U.S. Constitution and its state counterparts.
“I’m on the Ohio team,” she said. “I like getting to know the background of a state constitution. There was so much deliberation and differing opinions. Those framers had so many worries at the time, debating them as hotly as people do now.”
The research work is tedious, but Sophia is no stranger to receiving correction and not taking it personally.
“It’s like performing in an orchestra,” she said. “At CCS I have to be confident in my skills and be humble about feedback. You understand it’s for the good of the piece you are playing or the project you’re working on.”
Sophia plans to remain at CCS and maintain her 4.0 GPA until graduation in 2028 and then go on to law school, focusing on estate law or criminal law.
“What resonates with me is making sure everyone has their fair share,” she said. “I plan to do pro bono work on the side for women in difficult situations at work that involve discrimination or harassment.”
Her experience in the arts has prepared her well for her studies and future legal career.
“For our concert at Abravanel, I remember having to fill in at the last minute and step up and take the place of someone who quit,” Sophia said. “It taught me you can’t just waltz your way through. You have to be prepared and not complain about it.”
