BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Her career has already earned her awards, but as Sophia Percival works to save lives and help others, she also hopes to inspire them. That’s what makes her a Remarkable Woman.

Some would say the Bloomington woman has a servant’s heart.

“From a very young age, my mother had me involved with volunteering opportunities,” said Percival. “She really instilled in me at a young age the power of giving back and how important it is to help you stay grounded in the privileges that you have.”

It’s a philosophy she lives by every day, whether building a home as a Habitat for Humanity volunteer, or through her work at Catalent Pharma Solutions.

“Working in the pharmaceutical industry, it is not lost on us the impact of the work we do every day. It’s the big reason why I’ve continued to work in this industry for as long as I have,” Percival explained.

She is the director of drug product manufacturing, and everyday oversees hundreds of employees as they help create some of today’s most valuable products.

“I had the opportunity to receive one of the products that my site makes, that my team makes, which was Moderna’s COVID vaccine,” Percival said. “It was a surreal moment to be getting an injection, knowing the exact place that that was manufactured and made sterile and safe so that it can come into my body and keep me healthy.”

While her impact stretches from her workplace to around the world, she also uses her platform to lift up other women on the job.

It began seven years ago, when she began an employee resource group at Catalent. It has now been merged company-wide, advocating and implementing changes for an accommodating and inclusive workplace.

“A colleague and I recognized that our site didn’t have an employee resource group to help women in the workplace,” Percival recalled. “Breaking down those barriers, so that women have more career opportunities, is probably what brings me to work every day.”

Her work and efforts have earned her honors such as being named among the “10 Under 40” by the Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, and receiving a Career Achievement Award at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.

But such accolades are not what brings here to work, just the idea of giving back in some way.

“The awards, to me, aren’t what I strive for. I don’t apply for them. They tend to fall into my lap when a family member, or a friend, decides that they think it’s worth their time and energy to nominate me,” said Percival. “To me, at the end of the day, your purpose needs to be rooted in doing good things for other people, having a positive impact on the people that you see day to day.”

As she strives to help others through her work, she also wants to inspire and see more women not just pursue, but also lead careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Percival hopes her story will encourage young girls and women to stay with it.