BIO
Sonia Behrana Rash is a Fort Bend County Justice of the Peace who has led a life of public service. She was born in Karachi, Pakistan, but her family soon moved to Houston, where she grew up. Later, while earning her bachelor’s degree, she received a presidential award for her contributions to community outreach efforts, such as the Coalition for Justice in the Maquiladoras. She received a master’s degree in International Economics and ultimately became an honors graduate of Texas Southern University’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law. After working for a law firm, she opened her own practice, where she worked until becoming elected as Justice of the Peace. Sonia recently received another presidential award and remains committed to serving the community, holding board positions for LULAC and, previously, NAACP. She now lives in a lively household in Fort Bend County with her husband and their two young daughters. In this interview, Sonia discusses her educational path from a rigorous performing arts high school up to law school. She reflects on the role of music in her upbringing and facing impostor syndrome at HSPVA. While she decided to pursue political science instead of music, the same grit that was instilled in her youth carried her through university. She discovered her passion for learning and coupled it with her commitment to making the world a better place through a variety of acts of service and extracurricular roles which she discusses. Recounting the taxing election campaign for Justice of the Peace, she addresses the discrimination she faced within the South Asian community. This interview also covers the roles and responsibilities of a Justice of the Peace, Sonia’s advice for aspiring public servants, and the joys she finds in her career and her family.