Our Committee - Fuerza Latina

steering Committee

Fuerza Latina’s Steering Committee is an active team of volunteers who also direct our work. Our team consists of Latino Community Leaders and allies who work in solidarity for advocacy around Fort Collins.

Arpi Miller

Arpi grew up in California in a family committed to social justice. As the daughter of an Armenian-Palestinian refugee, she grew up with stories of displacement and migration. Following college, she moved to Guatemala for two years, working in a co-op of Guatemalan educators and activists. She returned to Los Angeles and completed a doctorate in sociology at UCLA, while working closely with Salvadoran immigrants in on issues of immigration justice and political change. She began volunteering with Fuerza Latina during its DACA legal clinics in 2012.

Erika Ramos

Erika is native to Jalisco, Mexico. She is a single mom to 3 children. She graduated from the University of Guadalajara with a License in Administration of Tourist Companies. In her free time, Erika enjoys walking with her children and helping in her church and community where in any way she can. Her greatest dream is to see her children attend university and have a career. Erika has volunteered with Fuerza Latina since 2018 and is a founding member of Fuerza’s worker-owned cooperative.

Jesus Castro Gonzalez

Jesus is a DREAMer from Los Mochis Sinaloa, Mexico, and has been living in Fort Collins since 2008. He attended Fossil Ridge High School and is currently a theater major at Colorado State University. He worked as the program coordinator for Fuerza Latina and is currently Director of the Adelante Program and Workforce Initiatives at ISAAC of Northern Colorado. He is also the 2023 SOL (Soul of Leadership) Award recipient from the Latino Community Foundation of Colorado. Fun fact about Jesus: he danced on stage with Katy Perry once!

Jesus Castro Uribe

Jesus was born in Yuriria, Guanajuato, Mexico. He studied primary and higher education in school and graduated from the School of Law and Political Sciences in Mochis, Sinaloa. He worked as a public servant and legal advisor. Jesus is a curious person and likes to learn. As an immigrant, he has a great respect for people looking for a better life and leaving everything behind. As a member of the Steering Committee of Fuerza Latina, he helped found La Fondita Latina, our worker-owned cooperative. He also helped form The Latino Chamber of Commerce.

Laurie Pasricha

Laurie grew up in Central California where she began to learn about the experience of immigrant communities through her classmates and their families, several of whom were migrant farmworkers. After studying Spanish in college, Laurie completed her MA in Applied Cultural Anthropology, focusing on community work and advocacy with immigrants and refugees. She moved to Fort Collins 12 years ago with her family. Along with her work on the Steering Committee, she helps coordinate the eviction legal fund and the hotline for Fuerza Latina.

Maria Gonzales

Maria was born in Sinaloa, Mexico. She has 4 children and graduated with a career in Business Administration. Adapting to living in the US was a long and challenging process until she arrived in Colorado with her family. Fort Collins has been the place where they have felt welcome. A part of Fuerza Latina, she has been able to return a little bit of what she has been given and has found a new family in Fuerza. Maria is an active volunteer with Fuerza Latina and is one of the founding members of our worker-owned cooperative.

Oralia Pardo Lora

Oralia was born in Lerdo, Durango, Mexico. She graduated with a degree in Business Administration. She is married and has three wonderful children. Oralia’s experience in this country has been one of significant challenges and personal growth. She feels grateful for everything she has been through in her life. She enjoys giving her heart to her work and has a great passion for providing different connections to the community and guiding them where they can go. Oralia belongs to the steering committee of Fuerza Latina and works on the hotline. Her dream is to see our community empowered and determined to leave a legacy.