A Bit About Me

My name is Sophia Butusova. I was born in Moscow, Russia, and immigrated to the U.S. in 2012. 

I am currently a freshman at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, set to graduate in May 2027. I am a Legal Studies major and looking to acquire a dual degree in another field!

I care about the way that policies affect the most vulnerable members of our society. I am passionate about environmental legal reforms and outreach to underrepresented communities about those issues, as I know that immigrant and minority communities are many times ignored by the law. Here and there, I do art to push these efforts forward!

I am now the Head of External Affairs and Visual Communications at the Russian Speaking Organization at UMass. I am having a great time managing our outreach relations through our social media platforms and helping organize events for Russians and Russian speakers on campus.

I worked for the Salem Climate Resiliency Council, Resilient Together, sponsored by Linnean Solutions, with a council of brilliant individuals to implement city-wide initiatives for resiliency and community awareness focusing on aiding the sizable, immigrant population in Salem, MA. Bridging the Climate Council with my friends at Salem Sound Coastwatch and students at Salem Academy Charter School, I pushed for the adoption of more cigarette butt bins by our local businesses to mitigate pollution. Side note, did you know that 99% of cigarettes are made of cellulose acetate, a human-made plastic fiber??? The plastic filters toxic chemicals into the environment that can last up to 10 years!

At Salem Sound Coastwatch, an environmental non-profit based in Salem, Massachusetts I worked as the Head of Marketing and Graphic Design and as a mural artist. The murals I designed and painted in my local community were meant to raise awareness about environmental conservation, wildlife protection, and climate change. Go check out my 3 story staircase mural at Collins Middle School, my cartoon mural at Thurgood Marshall Middle School, or my witch-inspired mural at the South Essex Sewerage District! Or, click around my site to view pictures of them.

At Malin Space Science Systems, based in San Diego, California, I designed diagrams for space hardware run times in accordance with the Martian and Sun cycles.

Privately,  I do commissions!

Clients

Organizations: Russian Speaking Organization, Salem Sound Coastwatch, Collins Middle School, Thurgood Marshall Middle School, LEAP for Education, Inc., South Essex Sewerage District.

Individual Clients: Jason, Allison, Alexander, Tatyana, Fr. Alexander, Marina, Gina, Nicholas, Nicolai, Sofia, Terrance, Julie, Zoë, Brian J, Brian, Kevin, Saber, Angie, Julia, Anya, Pavel.