Sophie Kodjoe's experience at the Le Bal des Débutantes in Paris has been nothing short of remarkable. This event, which introduces young women into high society, brought together an impressive cohort of participants. Among them was Sophie Kodjoe, the daughter of Nicole Ari Parker and Boris Kodjoe.

Discovering Unexpected Connections

In her exclusive conversation with PEOPLE, 19-year-old Kodjoe opened up about her initial nervousness upon meeting the other debutantes. "At first, I was nervous because sometimes I get nervous around new people," she said. "Especially with all these amazing young women my age, and they're all doing amazing things in other parts of the world. I was like, 'Oh my God, I don't have a title. I'm just Sophie from LA.'"However, once she got past her initial fears, Kodjoe found that "everyone was very nice and I made lots of very nice friends instantly. It was like the whole group just clicked." She recalled, "I didn't realize it but Apple was running in the same circles that I was. She went to Crossroads and Harvard-Westlake [high school]. Basically, all of my friends also went to Crossroads and Harvard-Westlake, so we were just talking about people that we knew and our time in high school."This realization of shared connections was a truly cool experience for Kodjoe. "It was very crazy that we all knew someone or on in each other in some way," she explained. "Apple's from LA, and Lucia lives sometimes in LA, sometimes in France. It just shows how our paths can cross in unexpected ways."Now that she's out in high society, the Howard University student confessed she hadn't expected to get so much attention. "I didn't even think I would be this out in society, because there's so many amazing women that I did this with — not even just their titles. They're just so pretty, and so talented, and so well-traveled, and well-etiquette and all of this stuff," she continued, noting how down-to-earth they were.She adds, "They were also very humble and very kind. They were just grateful. We had real life conversations like, 'What are you studying in school?'"These interactions have left a lasting impression on Kodjoe, and she is grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this unique experience.