Meet Sophie Breunig, UAlbany’s 'Pink-Meister'
By Sophie Coker, Class of 2026
ALBANY, N.Y. (May 11, 2026) — Freshman Sophie Breunig lives life in pink. Thanks to her pastel dresses and fashion sense, her style has made her someone people recognize, even if they don’t know her name.
We sat down with Breunig to get to know the girl behind the frills.
A geography major from Castleton-on-Hudson, Breunig came to the University at Albany to stay close to home while enjoying a fresh, big school environment after attending a small high school.
Don’t let the baby pink dresses fool you — Breunig is tough. She is active in the UAlbany Living History Club, participating in heavy armor fighting. When she’s not wielding a sword on campus, Breunig also enjoys woodworking, making boxes and furniture. An avid sewist, she doesn’t make the dresses she wears, but she does sew some of her blouses.
Her eye-catching style is inspired by the Japanese Elegant Gothic Lolita (EGL) street fashion. There are many substyles within EGL, but Breunig wears the Sweet style.
“Clothes are the expression of yourself,” she said. “I'm too stubborn to wear something that won’t bring me joy.”
Breunig would consider herself an outdoorsy person. Her best-loved spots on campus are those that go off trails — preferably sunny, grassy spots, though her favorite place is one that is colloquially named.
“There’s a lovely bench on the stairway to Indigenous Quad that I call the lizard rock. The sun always hits it so I can bask in the sun, like a lizard on a rock.”
Other highlights from her first year at UAlbany include visiting the cherry blossoms by the Life Sciences Research Building for the first time and flying a kite with her sister on the Collins Circle green.
Breunig says she has already chosen her path, geographic information systems (GIS), with a particular interest in environmental monitoring and engineering.
GIS is used to manage, analyze and visualize spatial data. The technology supports decision-making in fields like urban planning, public health and emergency response. GIS technology also helps to deconstruct high-stakes problems such as climate change, sustainability and social inequity.
“I’ve always enjoyed looking at maps and exploring different locations,” said Breunig. “It just fascinates me.”
Though many of her urban planning major peers may dream of working for big cities, Breunig is a small-town girl. Her picture-perfect home? A Victorian gingerbread cottage.
This summer, she is looking forward to working at a local preschool and attending Pennsic, a medieval reenactment event that gathers around 10,000 people annually. And don’t worry — she’s carrying her signature pink look through to the medieval clothing she’ll be sporting.