The college counselor at Thomas Doherty High School recommended Sophia Melpakam for the Best and the Brightest award with the highest of praise.  

“I have worked with thousands of students, and Sophia is at the top of them all. I truly cannot express in words how amazing she is.” 

Sophia is the Doherty 2026 valedictorian and student body president. She also has a G.P.A. of 4.6. In addition, she is the captain of the varsity cross-country team, runs track, and swims on the girls’ swim team. 

Melpakam has been awarded the Boettcher Scholarship (a full-ride scholarship) to any Colorado university or college. But she may not use it because she is also being considered for admission to the United States Military Academy at West Point.  

When we interviewed Sophia, the first thing she shared was how she helped organize The Harvest of Love campaign – to raise food and funds to benefit the Care and Share Food Bank. Sophia collaborated with faculty and administration to design activities that raised awareness of local food insecurity and mobilized the school community to actively participate in alleviating its impact.  

She continued her story noting, “These efforts … raised nearly $26,000 and collected over 10,000 pounds of food, the highest totals in recent school history.  

Melpakam told us, “I think about people in need a lot.” 

Sophia also says that she takes nothing for granted. As the daughter of a first-generation immigrant, she was raised in a multi-ethnic home with a profound respect for America. Through personal conversations with her grandmother, Sophia gained an alternative perspective, realizing that the privileges she enjoys in America are precarious for her family, who live in their native India.  

She understands that political and religious persecution, widespread poverty, and inadequate infrastructure are common in other nations. During her junior year, over a summer in Oaxaca, Mexico, she observed limited access to clean water, sanitation, and nutritious food.  

She was there studying Spanish on scholarship and teaching English. She saw how economic hardship, violence, and unreliable law enforcement impacted local communities’ well-being. These experiences reinforced her commitment to uphold Americans’ constitutional rights and civil liberties. 

This is why she applied to West Point. “From an early age, I was driven by my deep-rooted passion to attend a service academy. Having grown up in a military town, I had the unique opportunity to frequently interact with enlisted personnel….” 

She pauses to think, continuing, “Each of those engagements has left an indelible impression of duty, courage, sacrifice, service, and leadership – attributes that I admire and strive to emulate in my daily life.”  

When asked what she attributes her success to, she became quiet, her face contemplative.  

She told the Gazette how losing a close friend and swim teammate in a crosswalk accident during her sophomore year deeply affected her. While grieving, she found healing by connecting with others who shared similar experiences. 

Sophie, like many others, attended a candlelight vigil, found comfort in loved ones, and supported her friend’s family, which helped her move from “paralysis to purposeful action.” 

She fiercely advocated for enhanced safety measures. By mobilizing the school community, Doherty High School was the first in Colorado Springs to receive the “Safe School Zone” designation. This initiative successfully implemented reduced speed limits to insure a safe commute for all students. 

She speaks seriously of her internal change, “This journey of going through adversities has committed me to channeling my energy and effort in areas where I can make a difference rather than dwelling on external factors beyond my control. I do all I can to help students to feel seen and remembered.”