Sofia pursues her legal eagle dreams

Sofia Hnatczuk-Escobal with her father (second from right) and her twin brothers


by Susan Palmes-Dennis

Rockingham, North Carolina—About 20 days after receiving her Political Science degree from North Carolina State University, Sofia Hnatczuk-Escobal got admitted to law school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

Her admission fulfilled a long time personal dream to become a lawyer that she nurtured through the years.  Sofia specifically wanted to become a criminal defense attorney. 

Showing a letter from Bianca Mack, the asst. dean for admission, Sophia was selected from a large pool of applicants due to her outstanding academic and personal accomplishments. 

Born Sofia Ester Hnatczuk-Escobal, she is the daughter of past Filipino-American Community of the Carolinas Inc. (FACC) president Robert Escobal. 

Sofia loves to watch the long running TV show ‘Law and Order’ directed by Emmy Award winning producer Dick Wolf which delves into crime procedural stories that Sofia found to be interesting. 

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is one of the country’s leading institutions of higher education. For more than 175 years, the Carolina Law School is renowned for producing top lawyers and Sofia would be part of UNC-Law 2024. 

Sofia was the ‘Reyna Elena’ in the FACC community’s Flores de Mayo celebration in 2014.  In her Facebook post, Sofia said she is so excited about being accepted into the University of North Carolina School of Law ‘since it signified her lifelong dream to become a lawyer. ‘I realized my desire to be an attorney at 15 years old.’ Sofia said and she starts schooling later in the fall. 

Last May 18, Sofia graduated magna cum laude in her political science class with three minors in French, Criminology and Women and Gender Studies. Sofia completed the fall semester of her senior year in Washington D.C. 

She was chosen as an investigative intern in the prestigious Georgetown Law Criminal Clinic where she assisted leading defense attorneys in preparing legal memos, interviewing witnesses and canvassing crime scenes. Oh and I forgot to ask the beautiful, brainy Sofia if she knows a little Visayan since her father hails from Cebu City. 

There is no stopping Sofia, the eldest child of the late Larisa Irene Hnatczuk-Escoba and Robert John Escobal in becoming America’s next leader. By the way, Sofia is a loving sister to her brothers Nicolai and John Paul. We wish you all the blessings in your life’s journey Sofia. 


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