Sofia grew up comfortable with her powers, using them openly and freely with the blessing of her mother, who raised her alone in Caracas. When her mother was killed during riots, Sofia was sent to colorado to live with a father who she'd never met, an American businessman with little time for a daughter. Barrett kept Sofia at arm's length and left the raising of his daughter to his butler/driver, Derek Newton. Sofia was mocked at school for her cheerful attitude and strange accent. when her father failed to remember her sixteenth birthday, Sofia's optimistic facade crumbled and she went to one of his stores and trashed it with her wind powers. Barrett was ready to send her back to Venezuela before Danielle Moonstar arrived to offer Sofia a place at Xavier's.

At the institute, Sofia was able to find friends and maintain her optimistic outlook on life. She befriended her roomate, Wallflower and the two friends became the core of the training squad, the New Mutants. Given the codename Wind Dancer, Sofia stepped up to lead the New Mutants. But her headstrong ways, and her tendency to let the negative build up inside of her until she exploded, made her a less than ideal candidate. She eventually asked Prodigy, her genius teammate, to take over as leader. But Prodigy recognized that Wind Dancer was the emotional heart of the team. The two agreed to lead the squad together.

The New Mutants had an up and down year. They lost out in squad competitions to the rival Hellions and were sunk by interpersonal problems within the squad. Sofia grew attracted to Julian Keller, leader of the Hellions. Their squads' rivalry has kept the two from becoming a couple, but Julian is certainly a key figure in Sofia's life.

Following "M-Day", however, Sofia was de-powered, and while Julian wanted to keep seeing her, she was turned off by his attitude towards the other ex-mutants, and his support of Emma's decision to send them home. Sofia apparently was picked up from the school, and was not on the bus that was bombed by Stryker.