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TikTok-famous Las Vegas teacher named Latinx Trailblazer

Updated October 15, 2021 - 7:09 pm

A Las Vegas teacher was one of 15 creators honored in TikTok’s 2021 Latinx Trailblazers cohort.

Sofia Murillo, a third-grade teacher at Mater Academy Mountain Vista who goes by @iamsofiabella on TikTok, has 2.9 million followers on the platform. She was the only creator on the list from Las Vegas.

“Sofia Bella is a third grade teacher, cheer coach, and content creator,” TikTok said in a release about the 2021 cohort. “Her viral TikTok channel is filled with day-to-day snippets of life in her classroom alongside her long-running Bad Bunny fandom.”

@iamsofiabella

I am officially a Latinx Trailblazer 🥺💜

♬ Pieces (Solo Piano Version) - Danilo Stankovic

Murillo acknowledged the honor in a video posted to her TikTok channel on Sept. 14.

“I am so thankful, guys, I love you so much,” Murillo said through tears in the video. “I am so honored to be able to represent my community and share my passion with all of you and just to inspire all of you that no matter where you come from, no matter your background, you can live your dreams.”

Murillo said in an interview with TikTok on Sept. 29 that she is proud of her culture and honored to share it with the kids in her classroom as well as with her followers on TikTok.

“It taught me to be accepting of others no matter where they come from, which shaped me into the person and teacher I am today,” she said. “Knowing my family’s history made me strive to succeed — not to be better, but to prove that being Latina won’t stop me from achieving my goals and standing up for what I believe in.”

Contact Alexis Ford at aford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0335. Follow @alexisdford on Twitter.

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