OUR TEAM
Bridget Garcia Vera, she/ella (Mexicana) was born in Veracruz, Mexico and was raised on Tongva Land (Los Angeles). Her educational journey began at East Los Angeles Community College where she was able to obtain two associate degrees in Chicana/o Studies and Psychology and began her community service involvement by volunteering and advocating for the Latinx/Chicanx community through the M.E.C.H.A. student organization. She continued her education at Cal State LA, where she was able to complete her bachelor’s degree in Mexican American Studies in 2018 while working with community and student organizations such as MALCS de Cal State LA, Mujeres de Maíz, Brown Issues and Youth Justice LA. She immediately pursued her masters degree in Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies, graduating in 2020. Being DACAmented, she has been able to continuously advocate for the undocumented and Latinx/Chicanx community by volunteering in various local organizations within Los Angeles. Bridget specifically began working with that Native and Indigenous community in Los Angeles and beyond by working at Indigenous Circle of Wellness and will proudly be able to continue this work at So’oh-Shinálí Sister Project as the Community Operations Director.
Bridget Garcia Vera
Director of Community Operations
Patty Miramontes (Latinx/Chicanx) was born on Tongva Land to Mexican immigrant parents, her mother born in Ayotlán, Jalisco, and her father in Ixtlán del Río, Nayarit. Patty received her Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies with a minor in Chicanx/Latinx Studies from Portland State University in Oregon in 2018. During her time in Oregon, she was heavily involved with both the Latinx/Chicanx and Native community, serving in student groups and organizations for several years. This time cultivated a strong sense of community, dedication, passion for social justice, and an eagerness to serve and create tangible change wherever she can. Patty went on to attain her Master of Arts in Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies from Cal State LA in 2021. Since then, Patty has served in educational capacities including as a substitute teacher within K-12 settings, as a university academic advisor, and as a soccer coach to wonderful high school students. She now is very happy and proud to serve as a member of the So’oh-Shinálí Sister Project team and is consistently looking forward to empowering the community.
Patty Miramontes
Community Operations Coordinator
Laura Tejeda
Senior Director of Program Development
Laura (she/her/they) is a diversity and equity practitioner and creative. She was born and raised on Tongva Land (East LA/City Terrace) and is a daughter of an immigrant mamá and grandparents. Laura holds a Master's Degree in Organization & Leadership and Bachelor of Arts degree in English, she has over 12 years’ experience serving various institutions, particularly nonprofits, colleges and universities, as a social justice advocate and educator particularly serving, Black, Indigenous, Native and People of color communities. Laura is a libra, a proud community member of East Los Angeles and avid supporter of BIPOC owned businesses; especially the ones that serve coffee or food. When she's not working or leading a team or training, she can be found somewhere near a taco truck posting to her Instagram food and culture account or working as a freelance multimedia journalist. Laura is excited to learn and continue serving Native and Indigenous communities through her role as Senior Director of Program Development at So’oh-Shinálí Sister Project.
-2.jpg)
Wildflower Robles-Ontiveros is Gabrieleño, a descendant of the people of Huchiminga, and Chicana. She proudly holds the titles of mother, sister, community member, and advocate. She was born in Los Angeles and raised in the San Gabriel Valley, unceded Gabrielino-Tongva territory. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in English Education from Cal Poly Pomona in 2021. During her time at Cal Poly, Wildflower worked at the Native American Student Center as a Social Justice Leader where she had the honor of advocating on behalf of Native students, staff, and faculty. Wildflower is passionate about education and advocating for Native students and their families. She was able to continue this work in her previous role as Resource Coordinator with So'oh-Shinálí Sister Project and is grateful to now serve as the Director of Education and Community Engagement where she may continue to support and uplift the community.
Wildflower Robles-Ontiveros
Director of Education and Community Engagement
.jpeg)
Eva Powless is an Ukwehu·wé/Oneida woman, born and raised on the Oneida Nation Reservation of Wisconsin. Since a young age, her goals have been to uplift, strengthen, and empower Indigenous voices. Eva earned her Bachelor of Social Work degree at University of Kansas and her Master of Social Work degree at University of Southern California. Throughout her career, Eva has focused on servicing children, youth, adults, and multigenerational families. Eva centers ancestral teachings and trauma-informed approaches when supporting communities in healing. Eva is honored to share her knowledge and skills from previous diverse roles as a Child Protection Specialist, In-Home Outreach Counselor, and Clinician to support community outreach and engagement services in Los Angeles County. Eva is currently an Associate Clinical Social Worker (ASW #105284) and is excited to continue supporting the Indigenous community as the Director of Community Relations.
Eva Powless
Director of Community Relations
Lauren Begay
Project Coordinator
Lauren Begay (she/they) is Diné and Laguna Pueblo and was raised in Phoenix, Arizona. She moved to Los Angeles in 2018 to pursue filmmaking and still is a freelance filmmaker. She recently has worked with MTV, Vogue, and Visit California - all promoting Indigenous stories with Indigenous crew. Her most recent project was a collaborative promo between her mentee and herself for Prados X Lauren Good Day, which was featured on Vogue for Indigenous People’s Day 2023. Lauren prioritizes Indigenous youth voices in media - specifically working with Outlast Arts and Education, a non-profit that provides film and media arts education to Indigenous and Black youth from rural communities in South Dakota. All of her efforts go towards providing a non-Eurocentric learning environment for Indigenous youth to foster their creativity and see their stories come to life. She is very excited to join the So'oh-Shinálí Sister Project team as the Project Coordinator. She believes in supporting the Indigenous community on multiple levels, from filmmaking to community event programming. She wishes to continue her growth in supporting the local community in all ages and backgrounds.
Vicky Miramontes (Latina/Chicana) was born and raised on Tongva Land to Mexican immigrant parents. She attended San Francisco State University where she received a Bachelor’s degree in History in 2010. While at SFSU, she joined a student organization that sparked her passion for community and social change. Since then, Vicky has continued to develop her sense of community, passion for social justice and cultural awareness through her work in early childhood education and volunteering in her community. She now is honored to serve as project coordinator at So’oh-Shinálí Sister Project and excited to contribute to uplifting and empowering the Native and Indigenous community.
Vicky Miramontes
Project Coordinator