In this episode of On the Subject, host Michael Vilardo interviews Sophie Szew, a student at Stanford University who shares her transformative journey from a private Jewish school in Los Angeles to public school, and eventually to Stanford. Sophie discusses the challenges she faced, including her struggle with an eating disorder that led to her temporary withdrawal from school, and how these experiences shaped her advocacy work for mental health and institutional reform. She reflects on the importance of education in her life, her experiences with alternative learning platforms like Apex, and how these shaped her independent and interdisciplinary approach to her studies at Stanford. Sophie also shares insights on the importance of agency in education, the value of gap years, and the significance of finding and embracing one’s passions.