OUR TEAM
Sydney Abril Torres (She/Hers/Ella) is a Chicana Boricua equity minded operations professional and wellness practitioner and is passionate about developing thriving inclusive work spaces. She was born on Acjachemen land (Orange County) and comes from a large Latine family. During the past decade, Sydney has found joy in developing and growing equity spaces through strategic planning and developing the capacity for radical self care in community. Her area expertise has been developed in leadership development, womxn and gender services, and health justice. Outside of work Sydney can be found cruising around Long Beach on her bike, connecting with her rowing and walking club community, and traveling to find the best beaches. Sydney is a proud UC alumna graduating with her B.A. in Urban Studies and a minor in Global Sustainability from the University of California, Irvine, before she obtained her M.S. in Higher Education Administration from Florida State. She is excited to join the So’oh-Shinálí Sister Project team and is dedicated to contribute to the sustainability of such an impactful organization.
Sydney Abril Torres
Senior Director of 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.
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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
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
Administrative Operations Coordinator