Young Pros Spotlight
Sofia Tarasiuk
What is your role / current company?
Creative Producer/Skelar
If you could offer one piece of advice to other young professionals, what would it be?
Don’t wait to feel “ready.” Take initiative before you feel 100% confident, because growth rarely happens in your comfort zone. Set bold goals and dream big—really big. If your dream or career goal doesn’t scare you at least a little, you’re probably aiming too low. The most meaningful progress starts where comfort ends.
What is your proudest professional achievement?
My proudest professional achievement is not a single milestone. My MBA in Marketing, the Hassenfeld Immersion Program in India, the SPARK startup competition, my internship at JLR, receiving an offer at SKELAR — each of these was my proudest moment at the time. What matters more is the pattern: I consistently put myself in environments that stretch me, take ownership early, and compound into larger opportunities. That progression is what I’m most proud of.
How has being an ARF Young Pro member impacted your career?
Being part of the ARF Young Pros community has been valuable because it consistently places me in conversations that challenge how I think about marketing, media, and research. Beyond access to knowledge, the community has helped me build relationships with peers and mentors whose perspectives continue to shape my professional growth over time. Within that broader context, attending the Audience & Science Conference in 2025 stood out as a focused learning moment. It allowed me to pressure-test ideas, exchange perspectives with professionals across disciplines, and better understand the trends influencing how our industry is evolving.
What is something you recently saw on the internet that made you smile? It can be work-related or otherwise (PG-13).
This meme has been going around among my marketing friends, and it’s surprisingly accurate for me. Especially on days when I’m working on something I love and my brain refuses to log off. I guess that’s a feeling many of us in marketing can relate to 🙂
How has mentorship played a role in your career journey?
Mentorship has played a powerful role in shaping both my career path and my sense of purpose. One of the earliest and most impactful mentors was the director of the Klitschko Foundation, where I had my first job — her leadership and belief in me influenced how I see my role in driving meaningful change. During my MBA at Brandeis International Business School, I was supported by professors, career coaches, and staff who offered not just advice, but genuine encouragement during key turning points. And today, I continue to be inspired by people here at ARF. Their expertise, curiosity, and drive push me to keep growing every day. Each of these mentors helped me realize that careers aren’t built alone, they’re shaped through connection.
What is your dream job? If money were no object, what would you do?
It would be a role with a direct impact on people’s lives. If money were no object, I would work in an environment focused on expanding access to high-quality education for young people. I see education not as a static system, but as a lever for long-term growth, influencing communities and future generations. I would choose this work because creating scalable access to education aligns with how I think about impact: long-term, structural, and compounding. In many ways, this is already what I’m doing in my current role, contributing to an edtech product designed to scale learning and opportunity. In that way, I may already be doing the work I once considered a dream job.
THE ARF YOUNG Pros WANTS TO KNOW ABOUT YOU!
Share a bit about yourself and your work for a chance to be featured as a Spotlight Young Pro!
Log-in and complete this form to be considered for a Young Pros Spotlight feature.