Junior Sophie Markovic believes small acts of kindness go a long way.

With so much uncertainty due to the coronavirus pandemic, Markovic wanted to “do some good in the world” and give back to her community, so she started selling embroidered patches through her Instagram and donating all profits to charity.

“There are so many cool and helpful charities that could benefit so much from donations,” Markovic said. “Even if I don’t make a ton of money, I think every dollar counts, and I like knowing that every cent is going to help someone.”

Markovic began sewing at a young age with her mother. As a freshman, she began embroidering and can now embroider complicated designs.

“To think of a design, I’ll make a bunch of different ones to learn what I like,” Markovic said. “Firstly, I think of what is topical and going on. For example, the 100-year anniversary of the 19th Amendment of women’s right to vote. I wanted to raise awareness about voter suppression and how that relates to now.”

The design on one of her patches reflects the idea as it reads “I’m a Georgia voter” and displays the female gender symbol.

“I saw the Georgia voter patch on Sophie’s Instagram page and really liked it,” said Suzy Saddone, who purchased two of Markovic’s patches. “This was back in August, and I knew the election was going to be enormous. I thought the patch was an artistic way to express the need to vote.”

In addition to advocating her beliefs through her designs, Markovic also donates all of her profits to organizations such as Community Movement Builders and the Metro Atlanta Mutual Aid Fund.

“I pick organizations that are mainly Atlanta because I want to help the community that has given to me,” Markovic said. “To pick, I look up many organizations and see who other people are donating to and pick the ones that I find interesting.”

Community Movement Builders helps create sustainable communities by planting gardens in predominantly black neighborhoods that may not have access to fresh, healthy foods. The Metro Atlanta Mutual Aid Fund helps communities struggling with the effects of the pandemic.

Like Saddone, Magda Dumitrescu, Class of 2018, purchased Markovic’s Georgia voter patch through her Instagram. As an artist, Dumitrescu appreciates Markovic’s intricate and thoroughly thought out work.

“Sophie’s work weaves activism and art together beautifully,” Dumitrescu said. “I am an artist and anthropologist, and I love being able to support art which creates a bridge between the two and supports systemic change.”

Another one of Markovic’s patches reminds everyone to “take a breath” and “take care.” With so much stress and uncertainty in the world right now, Markovic wanted to remind everyone to be kind to themselves.

“My most recent patch is about all the stress regarding the election results,” Markovic said. “Everything can be worrisome, but some things you don’t have control over;so, ground yourself and take care of yourself.”

Markovic is glad to help others while doing something she enjoys.

“I like being able to express myself with art, and I like being able to show my art because I think it is so cool seeing how other people think and feel,” Markovic said. “Two people could be feeling similar things but just express it in two wildly different ways. It’s just so interesting, and I hope people have the same interest as I do.”