Paula Sojo

At the age of 18, Paula Sojo was diagnosed with a severe case of Crohn’s disease, resulting in 17 surgeries and a permanent ostomy. Determined to help others, she teamed up with her brother to found Ostome Fashion, a thriving business that provides fashionable and empowering options to all ostomy users. With help from family, friends and mentors, she has not only changed her life, but promoted representation and acceptance and empowered her community.

A Durham College (DC) Video Production grad, she has applied her program’s lessons in photography, video production and other areas to the promotion of her business, while utilizing her college’s entrepreneurial supports. In 2024, she won DC’s Pitch Competition hosted by FastStart. Her story has been shared and celebrated in a variety of notable outlets including BNN Bloomberg, Vogue and Univision News.

She is nominated in the Recent Graduate category.