“She’s tiny, but she has a huge heart!” says one of Sophia’s co-workers.

Sophia Kipp has been an inspiring colleague and fun person to be around for many at Beyond Vision, having created a family-like bond with many of her co-workers.

Diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa in her twenties, Sophia worked in various assembly and machining jobs until 2010, when her husband happened to read an article about Beyond Vision. Sophia applied to work here and ever since, she’s enjoyed a sense of belonging and joy. She works in Assembly and Packaging.

Sophia naturally strives to do the best she can every day. Her favorite job is being on “auto-baggers” where she bags up various raw materials. She notes that in this role the challenge is that you eventually find a rhythm you try to keep up with.

Sophia comes to work with a great attitude toward her work. Her favorite part of her job is the people she works with — she feels like she has a family at Beyond Vision.

“After my first day of work, I went home and cried because I was able to work again,” Sophia says. “I never knew that there was a place like Beyond Vision that would provide a workplace for people who are blind and provide the accessibility tools needed to make me successful in my job.”

In addition to loving her work, Sophia enjoys spending time with her family and cooking Mexican food for them.

A piece of advice Sophia likes to share with others is this: “Don’t give up — you always have a place. And be proud of yourself because you know you can do anything.”