Sophia Hart was an adventurous hiker who loved the outdoors. An intelligent student who excelled in math, science and engineering. A talented musician who inspired others with her performances on saxophone, violin and clarinet.
But more than anything else, she will be remembered by family and friends as a kind, nurturing person who valued forgiveness and always made others laugh.
Hart, a UF mechanical engineering junior, died Oct. 9 at age 20 from a pulmonary embolism. She was born on Jan. 24, 2005, in Plantation, Florida.
She is survived by her parents, Anita and Michael Hart; her siblings, Lisa and Stefan Hart; and her twin sister, Loren Hart. Her family asked for privacy during this time and declined to comment.
A way with music
Music was one of Hart’s greatest loves in life. A talented musician, she played the violin for Crossroads — a faith-based organization at her high school — and the saxophone and clarinet for her high school marching band.
Hart went on to play the saxophone for UF’s Gator Marching Band, which she joined as a sophomore. Her boyfriend of four and a half years, Erik Neugaard Jr., said she could pick up any instrument and play it with ease.
Hart’s aspirations were in construction planning and building design; she was well suited in math and science, Neugaard said. She wanted to work with him at a civil engineering firm carrying out design projects when they both graduated.
“The beauty of Sophia was that these grand things were not as important to her,” Neugaard said. “It was the small, little adventures that we would go on, small little trips and small little gifts and things that really brought her the most joy.”
The summer before college started, the couple took a trip to Europe. They went to Venice to watch a Formula 1 race before going to Austria to visit Hart’s family. That trip, Neugaard said, is one of his fondest memories of Hart.
One day, they went to St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, only to find they could not get in. Neugaard said they spent the whole day trying to lift their spirits by exploring the city. He recalled sitting on the edge of a dock that day, talking to Hart and admiring the view, feeling proud and grateful they planned a trip together at 18 years old and paid for it themselves.
Hart cared about everyone’s well-being and made sure people were treated with respect and dignity, Neugaard said, even those who didn’t show kindness in return.
“For those who trespassed against her, she effortlessly found it in herself to forgive them and to let them try again, to be a better person,” he said. “Her forgiveness was quintessentially her.”
Neugaard said Hart's symptoms of pulmonary embolism, a blood clot that blocks one or more arteries in the lung, were easily overlooked; she only had one symptom, which he chose not to disclose. The most minor of symptoms could cause tragedy, he said.
Michael McCormack, Hart’s high school teacher and Crossroads director, said Hart lit up the room.
“She just had that personality. She was deeply, deeply loved by the campus ministry team, the faculty members and by her student body,” he said. “The one word I would use is just ‘presence.’”
McCormack and Hart formed a close bond. They became colleagues over her time in high school and connected over a love of music.
“I was the teacher, the teacher moderator, but it was more than that,” McCormack said. “It was a family.”
Hart became a leader within their musical group, he said, and was instrumental in recruiting new members. She had a gift of connecting with students, McCormack said, and she was very gregarious.
Hart always came into McCormack’s office during the school day to check up on him and talk. She often asked how he was doing, McCormack said.
Even as busy as she got, McCormack said, Hart always made time to check on people, as she did for him.
“That’s who Sophia was,” he said. “Sophia cared deeply about people.”
At her funeral Mass, Hart’s instruments were put on display. McCormack recalled walking toward them and encountering Hart’s violin teacher, who was leaving a note on the violin. Hart inspired everyone who heard her violin performance, he said.
“Her instruments were silenced on this earthly planet,” McCormack said, “but they are not silenced in our hearts and in our minds. I still, and I will always, carry with me the image of her playing the violin.”
A friend to stand by
Hana Mongkolsindhu played in the St. Thomas Aquinas High School marching band with Hart. The 20-year-old University of Central Florida biological sciences junior said despite high school drama and feeling like no one was on her side, Hart was the kind of person she could count on for support.
“She had so much love for everyone,” Mongkolsindhu said. “You could feel it when you were hanging out with her. You just felt loved, and there was not a singular negative bone in her body.”
When she felt like the world was crushing her down, Hart — with her ability to make others laugh and appreciate the little things — helped Mongkolsinghu realize life’s blessings far outweigh its inconveniences.
At one period of time, Mongkolsindhu and Hart grew apart. When a natural disaster occurred in Mongkolsindhu’s home country, Hart immediately called her to check up on her and offer support.
Mongkolsindhu said during their high school marching band years, Hart was a respected leader and “the only one who could get us under control” when the band director couldn’t.
“She had this authority to her that was still friendly,” Mongkolsindhu said.
Even when people did not keep in contact with her, she said Hart showed care and forgiveness.
Alissa Brady, Hart’s close childhood friend, described Hart as talented, smart and funny. Brady, a 20-year-old UF sociology senior, studied with Hart since elementary school. Though they didn’t plan to attend the same university after high school, Brady said they were happy to commit to the same school.
They both played in the UF marching band, where she witnessed Hart’s fondness for music. Hart loved performing, Brady said, and she often played at concerts with her twin sister.
“I remember how beautiful it was and how much I admired her talent and her ability to create such beautiful music just from the violin,” Brady said.
Her fondest memories of Hart, Brady said, were the ones when they weren’t doing anything specific, but just being together at her house, “doing the most random things,” like playing computer games.
Family was always a priority to Hart, Brady said, and she loved taking vacations and spending time with them.
Hart’s loved ones said she loved her Austrian heritage and went to Austria every few years to visit family. She loved Austrian food and often made it at home.
Radiating kindness and love
Josie Brown, a 20-year-old University of South Florida anthropology senior, went to school with Hart from pre-K to high school. She described Hart as a “wild card” at times, who loved to make others laugh. Other times, she was a sensible, decisive woman who gave the best advice.
“When we were in band, she’d always be really loud … to make people laugh with her dancing, her faces, her impersonations," Brown said. “She’d have her times when she was more straightforward … when she wasn't trying to make people laugh, she’d have really good conversations.”
Brown loved going on night swims at the Harts’ pool with Hart and their friends. They talked, watched movies, had a sleepover and did each other’s makeup, followed by a photoshoot. Those night swims make up some of Brown’s fondest memories of Hart, she said.
They also went on a trip to South Carolina together and went snowboarding during the pandemic. Hart was nature-loving and adventurous; Brown said she loved hikes and was rarely scared of anything.
Although Hart was fearless, Brown said, she was also stable, steady and reasonable. She was a decisive thinker.
“She had so much decision-making inside of her that once it came to deciding on things, it was like she had her mind already made up. She knew what she needed to do,” Brown said.
Hart was sentimental in a way. She kept knicknacks — including every stuffed animal, keychain and collectible item from loved ones, Brown said.
“I think that kind of tells you about how she liked to hold on to the things that people give her to show that they care about her,” she said.
The last time Brown and Hart spoke, they talked about their plans for the rest of their academic careers. They talked about graduate school and how Hart cared about being a big achiever and taken seriously in her field. She was also thinking about studying abroad in Japan.
“She just wanted to see more and spend more time with Erik especially — just do new things, one at a time,” Brown said.
She was an easy person to enjoy being around, Brown said. She was unforgivably herself, and so sure of herself.
“If you had gotten to know her, you would probably immediately be friends with her,” Brown said.
Contact Angelique Rodriguez at arodriguez@alligator.org. Follow her on X @angeliquesrod.
Angelique is a first-year journalism major and the Fall 2025 graduate school reporter. In her free time, she'll probably be reading, writing, hanging out with her friends or looking through the newest fashion runway shows on Vogue.
