Sophia Toner
Sophia Toner
Sophia Toner is from Pass Christian, Mississippi and studies International Studies and Chinese with a minor in Russian at the University of Mississippi. For her undergraduate thesis Sophia studied Chinese lawfare in the Arctic region, focusing on case studies of maritime infrastructure such as subsea communication cables and shipping routes. Expanding on this, Sophia went to Arctic Norway with funding from the Stamps Impact Prize to attend the Sámi Arena and explore the impact of increased global interest in the Arctic on indigenous Sámi communities. Through the Croft Institute for International Affairs, Sophia was able to study in Beijing, researching Chinese maritime defense tactics in the South China Sea. Sophia has also studied extensively in Taiwan with the Chinese Language Flagship Program, where she interned at the Industrial Technology Research Institute. While abroad, she researched Taiwan’s critical maritime infrastructure security, supply chain strategy, and gray-zone tactics in the Taiwan strait. As a Marshall scholar, Sophia plans on pursuing an MSc in Maritime Policy and Shipping Management at the University of Cardiff, followed by an MSc in International Security at Bristol University.