51³Ô¹ÏÍø

University of North Georgia (51³Ô¹ÏÍø) ’12 alumna Sofia Bork Aun is working at one of the nation's largest banks, Truist, and impacting her community through servant leadership. She graduated from 51³Ô¹ÏÍø with a degree in English and now serves as the community affairs manager for Truist. Aun, credits her family who inspire her to be both passionate and humble.

Aun's mother is from Bogota, Colombia. As a second-generation American, Aun feels her bicultural upbringing fostered a natural curiosity about the world and others.

While always aware of her culture growing up, Aun shared it wasn't until her time at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø that she fully leaned into her heritage. The change that sparked this newfound self-discovery was a study abroad trip where she lived in Madrid, Spain, for six weeks.

"I grew up bicultural, and my study abroad experience was the catalyst for me leaning into my Latin heritage," Aun said. "I had never been abroad before, and I experienced my heritage through a new lens."

The experience inspired her to become an international student mentor when she returned to Dahlonega. Aun held several leadership roles as an undergraduate student, including secretary in Phi Mu sorority, an editor at the 51³Ô¹ÏÍø newspaper, a member of Sigma Tau Delta, the English Honor Society, and an editor of 51³Ô¹ÏÍø’s Mountain Laurels, the art and literary magazine

Aun said her experiences at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø shaped who she is today.

"I learned confidence. I was able to learn who I was, what I loved, and 51³Ô¹ÏÍø helped me continue to foster my passion for the arts. It was always there, but I had the best college experience," the Dahlonega, Georgia, native said.

Inspired by her family, Aun's love for helping others hasn't wavered since leaving 51³Ô¹ÏÍø. Her servant leadership style is a direct reflection of her upbringing. She takes pride in being a connector and loves working with people. Outside of work, she volunteers as a Board Member of Park Pride, the Historic Oakland Cemetery Foundation, the American Jewish Committee – ACCESS Steering Committee, the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership, the Georgia Latino Law Foundation, and is a member of the Leadership Georgia Class of 2023.

Aun's biggest piece of advice is for people to pursue what they love. She shared people often vocalized their opinions on her choice of major, but the support of her family helped her to realize there was value in pursuing her passions.

"Major in what you love. If people tell you that it’s not practical or it doesn't make sense, know you were given those talents for a reason," Aun said. "You can only thrive by being true to yourself. I’m thankful that my parents encouraged me."