Sophia Garcia Postsecondary Retention Specialist, Kauffman Scholars, Inc., Education Sophia Garcia is a postsecondary retention specialist for Kauffman Scholars, Inc. (KSI), where she assists more than 100 scholars who attend Benedictine College, the University of Central Missouri, and the University of Missouri – Kansas City, guiding and nurturing their academic, social and emotional growth. Prior to joining KSI, Garcia worked in advertising before pursuing a career in higher education, where she worked as an admissions counselor at the University of Missouri – Kansas City. Garcia serves as a mentor for the Avanzando program at UMKC and volunteers regularly at her church. She earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in both mass communications and Spanish from Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, and is pursuing a Master of Arts in management from Rockhurst University.