Ana Sophia always knew she wanted to work at a mission-driven organization that had an outlook as positive and hopeful as hers is–particularly when it came to developing technical solutions to fight climate change that also lifted up communities economically. After college, she began working at the Rocky Mountain Institute, where she was introduced to the concept of Applied Hope—a mantra that she had unwittingly been living, and aspiring toward, all her life. According to Amory Lovins, RMI’s cofounder, “Applied hope is not about some vague, far-off future, but is expressed and created moment by moment through our choices.” In 2017, after Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico, Ana Sophia helped install microgrids in 10 public schools – giving more than 4,000 students and faculty access to clean, resilient power. “I can’t tell you what it was like when the students could see firsthand what is possible. This is what Applied Hope fosters, in its purest form.”