Sophia Sepp, LMSW, MPH, CHES, is a graduate of the dual MSW and MPH program at New Mexico State University (NMSU). Prior to moving to the NM borderlands, she received a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service with a focus on international politics at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. She has practice experience working with immigrant serving organizations in the border region as well as with the NM child welfare system. Her research interests include understanding the complex intersections of immigration, child welfare system, and child wellbeing issues, particularly from a cross-disciplinary lens that incorporates both social work and public health perspectives. She currently serves as a Program Manager in the School of Social Work at NMSU, supporting grant-funded research and training and professional network development around improving the relevance and access of social services for immigrant families in New Mexico. She also provides support to program evaluation projects of NMSU’s Crimson Research in the Public Health Sciences Department.

Sophia also works with the Center on Immigration and Child Welfare Initiative, a national peer membership organization that strives to improve programs and policies for immigrant children and families involved in the child welfare system. She supports research, practice, and policy-related work to increase equity and service access for children in immigrant families, especially those who touch state child welfare systems.

Recent Publications

1. Finno-Velasquez, M., Villamil Grest, C., Le, H., & Sepp, S. (2025). Pathways to support: Determinants of child care subsidy and service utilization among immigrant families in a U.S.–Mexico border community. Children and Youth Services Review. 179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108626
2. Villamil Grest, C., Finno-Velasquez, M., Casey, I., & Sepp, S. (2025). Determinants of Mental Health Service Utilization Among Immigrant Caregivers and their Children in a US-Mexico Border Community. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-025-01841-4
3. Finno-Velasquez, M., Grest, C. V., Sepp, S., Baro, D., & Brownell, G. (2025). Immigrant Service Access Needs and Recommendations in the U.S.–Mexico Border Region: A Qualitative Study. Social Sciences, 14(9), 519. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci14090519
4. Lovato, K., Sepp, S. (2025). Understanding the Needs of Immigrant Families Who Are Involved in the Public Child Welfare System: A Case for Transformation. Families in Society, 106(2), 370-387. https://doi.org/10.1177/10443894241312301
5. Lopez, A., Finno-Velasquez, M., Corkill, M., Mendoza, V., Sepp, S., & Salazar Pérez, M. (2024). Community leaders’ perspectives on the unique service barriers and facilitators among immigrant families with young children in the rural U.S./Mexico border region. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services.
   https://doi.org/10.1177/10443894241276563
6. Lovato, K., Finno-Velasquez, M., Sepp, S., Clayton, E., & Wright, K. (2024). An examination of child welfare agency models serving immigrant children and families.Journal of Public Child Welfare, 1-24.  https://doi.org/10.1080/15548732.2024.2320278

Featured Courses