Sonia’s background is Russian-Mongolian. Her people hail from the steppes of Central Asia, near Kazakhstan and Chechnya. Her family escaped Russia during the Bolshevik Revolution and so her grandparents were raised in Belgrade, Serbia. They came to the US as refugees after WWII, settling in New Jersey. Sonia has travelled to her ancestors’ homeland, and throughout Russia, twice since the fall of the Iron Curtain. She also speaks conversational Russian and Mongolian.

Coming from an immigrant family with such a rich history, and growing up in the colorful, working-class world of the Jersey Shore, it was Sonia’s passion for telling ‘Real Stories’ about ‘Real People’ that led her to acting. Her first performance was in Juvie in community theatre at age 11 and she’s been acting ever since. Her formal training commenced in High School, as an acting major at a performing arts high school. She then went on to graduate with honors in Theater from Oberlin College, where she also participated in their theater-in-London semester.

Since coming to New York, Sonia’s theater experiences have included touring the Czech Republic with the original play 36 Exposures and performing at venues such as HERE, American Theatre of Actors and Greenwich Street Theatre. She workshopped Woom’en and Carl Hancock Rux and Laurie Carlos’ new play, The Beautiful, with Marlies Yearby, Tony-nominated choreographer of Rent.

Her film roles have included the lead in Double Dealing, which was a finalist in an MTV 72hr Film Festival and the Slamdance premiere, Not For Sale, directed by Maryam Keshavarz, winner of two Berlinale awards.