Career Timeline of Sophia Kianni: Major Achievements and Milestones

Discover the career path of Sophia Kianni, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.

Sophia Kianni is an Iranian-American social entrepreneur and climate activist. She co-founded Phia, a digital fashion app. She also founded Climate Cardinals, the largest youth-led climate nonprofit globally, translating climate information into numerous languages. She has advised the EPA's National Youth Advisory Council and the United Nations, making her the youngest UN advisor in US history. Kianni is a prominent voice in the youth climate movement.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements

November 2019: Participation in Extinction Rebellion Protest

In November 2019, Sophia Kianni, at age 17, participated in a protest organized by Extinction Rebellion in Washington, D.C., demanding a conversation with Nancy Pelosi about climate change. She gave a speech, did press interviews, and continued a hunger strike remotely. She also wrote about her participation in Teen Vogue.

2019: Teen Vogue article on Pelosi office hunger strike

In 2019, Kianni wrote an article for Teen Vogue about the Pelosi office hunger strike.

2019: Climate Activism and Fridays for Future

In 2019, Sophia Kianni joined Greta Thunberg's Fridays for Future and took time off school to support climate action. She helped organize the 2019 Black Friday climate strike and became a national strategist for Fridays for Future and national partnerships coordinator for Zero Hour.

May 2020: Launch of Climate Cardinals

In May 2020, Climate Cardinals was launched, attracting 1100 volunteers on its first day and partnering with Radio Javan to share translations with Iranians.

July 2020: Appointment to UN Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change

In July 2020, Sophia Kianni was appointed by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres to his Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change. As the youngest member of the group, she represented the United States, the Middle East, and Iran.

August 2020: Climate Cardinals Volunteer Growth

By August 2020, Climate Cardinals had over 5,000 volunteers, with an average age of 16.

December 2020: Climate Cardinals Partnerships and Reach

By December 2020, Climate Cardinals had 8,000 volunteers and partnerships with UNICEF and Translators Without Borders, reaching over 350,000 people with over 750,000 translated words of climate information.

2020: XR DC spokesperson

In 2020, Kianni acted as an XR DC spokesperson.

2020: Articles on coronavirus effects

In 2020, Kianni wrote two articles about the effects of the coronavirus, one for Cosmopolitan Middle East about its effects on Nowruz, and another for Refinery29 about its impact on her daily schedule as a climate activist.

2020: Founding Climate Cardinals

In 2020, Sophia Kianni founded Climate Cardinals, a youth-led non-profit organization aimed at providing climate change information in every language, inspired by her experience translating articles for her Iranian relatives.

2020: Shift to Remote Activism and Climate Cardinals Development

In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sophia Kianni shifted to remote activism, continuing her activism remotely with her talk at Michigan Technological University. She accelerated the development of Climate Cardinals, a website to translate climate change information into different languages.

September 2021: Co-chair of Youth4Climate event in Milan

In September 2021, Sophia Kianni co-chaired the Youth4Climate event in Milan. Climate Cardinals translated the Youth4Climate manifesto into the 6 official languages of the United Nations.

November 2021: Speaker at COP26

In November 2021, Sophia Kianni spoke at several panels at COP26 in Glasgow and met with António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations.

2021: Hosting a podcast for The New Fashion Initiative

In 2021, Kianni began hosting a podcast for The New Fashion Initiative, interviewing experts involved in the fashion industry about addressing climate change.

October 2022: Featured in Vogue Arabia for COP27 Representation

In October 2022, Sophia Kianni was featured in Vogue Arabia for representing the UN and speaking at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

2022: Speaking at Several Conferences

In 2022, Kianni spoke at several conferences, including Web Summit and the 2022 Arch Summit.

2022: Article for The Washington Post on sustainable college living

In 2022, Kianni wrote an article for The Washington Post about how she lives sustainably in college.

2023: Partnership with Google Cloud AI-powered Translation Hub

In 2023, Climate Cardinals partnered with the Google Cloud AI-powered Translation Hub to translate 800,000 words into 40 languages in three months.

2023: CNN editorial on Alaskan oil drilling with Greta Thunberg and Vanessa Nakate

In 2023, Kianni partnered with Greta Thunberg and Vanessa Nakate to write a CNN editorial criticizing US President Joe Biden's endorsement of the Alaskan oil drilling Willow project.

2023: Board of Directors of the Museum for the United Nations & EPA National Environmental Youth Advisory Council (NEYAC)

In 2023, Sophia Kianni joined the board of directors of the Museum for the United Nations - UN Live, and was appointed to the Environmental Protection Agency National Environmental Youth Advisory Council (NEYAC).