BIO

Laura Soto is an ARTivist: poet, writer, dancer who shares her activism via performance, keynote speaking, poetic spoken & written word through her professional business Bridging Communication LLC. She is a DACA recipient born in Chihuahua, Mexico and raised bi-cultural in the U.S. She has engaged in community activism for social justice from a very young age to uplift the disparities found in her local community. Her ARTivisim, which uses the power of words to fight for a more just world while confronting the realities that the BIPOC immigrant community lives on a daily basis, has taken many forms.  Laura has worked with art centers, non-profits, schools, public officials, local news media, public libraries, at-risk youth advocacy centers, alternative healing centers, homeless shelters, women centers, disability centers and legal offices. 

Laura studied Mexican Culture at Universidad Autonoma de Chihuahua in Bellas Artes and finished her AA with Linn-Benton Community College in Cultural Anthropology.  She has performed for Motus Theater, Latino Community Foundation of Colorado, City of Longmont, City of Lafayette, Colorado Department of Education’s Migrant Youth Leadership Institute, Noche de Peña, Tonos Latinos, Dairy Center for the Arts, Longmont Museum, Latino Advocacy Day, Varrios Voices and Lighthouse Writers Workshop. Laura has worked as a bilingual immigration paralegal, professional translator/interpreter, community organizer, cultural broker, resource navigator, non-profit administrator and advisor for people with disabilities advocating for immigrant rights based out of Boulder County. In recent years, Laura has co-founded local grassroots organizations Voces Unidas of Boulder County and Colectivo Cultura to provide strong platforms for authentic representation of local immigrant youth voices and Latinx cultural identity.

She is a member of the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, where she has helped facilitate dialog with Colorado State Representatives and other policy makers to defend equal protections for undocumented immigrants under Colorado law for many years; the Latinx Advisory Committee to Congressman Joe Neguse, where community leaders bring up issues of concern in northern Colorado for the congressman to propose national policy change; and Parents Involved in Education, a task-force of public service Latinx leaders dedicated to bridge the opportunity gap for local Latinx families in the Saint Vrain Valley School District. Laura is currently Operations Manager at the Philanthropiece Foundation and is a proud mother of her young adult children who are bilingual/ bicultural/ queer and rising leaders.

Employment History

Operations Manager, Philanthropiece Foundation, Longmont, CO 2018 – Present
Champion change-making leaders and co-create more resilient communities respecting authenticity of the community.

Bicultural Paralegal, McKinley Law Group, LLC, Longmont, CO 2016 – 2018
Case manager of heavy case load for a growing immigration law firm. Excellence in communication and cultural

Owner, Bridging Communication, LLC, Longmont, CO 2015 – Present
Professional interpreting, translation, mediation, keynote speaking, cultural brokering for conflict resolution

Service History

Latinx Advisory Committee to Congressman Joe Neguse, 2019 – Present
State level representative in leaders cohort advising Congressman Neguse on issues of concern for Latinx community.

Voces Unidas of Boulder County, 2019 – Present
Co-founder of grass-roots organization representing issues of concern for immigrant students in Boulder County.

Colectivo Cultura, 2019 – Present
Co-founder of grass-roots organization representing Latinx identity, cultural & artistic expression in Boulder County.

Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC) 2014 – Present
Experienced member representing immigrant issues to Colorado State Representatives to defend equitable policies

ARTivist History

Facilitator, Community Forum, 2021
Impartial, Non-partisan City counsel candidate forum, addressing issues of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion that impact the City of Boulder under represented communities.

Keynote Speaker, Latino Advocacy Day, 2021
Opening and closing performance for statewide event to organize community lobbying to request state representatives to support legislation and policies that benefit the BIPOC and immigrant community.

Master of Ceremonies, Longmont Museum’s Impressionism Art Exhibit, 2021
Host of opening reception for “Longmont’s Monet” event welcoming the Spring-time with a show of original impressionism paintings, storytelling, impressionism piano performance and poetry.

Spoken Word performer, Hispanic Access Foundation, 2021
 Featured artist and motivational speaker for scholarship fundraising conference benefiting immigrant students.

Master of Ceremonies, Parents Involved in Education End-of-School-Year Celebration, 2021
Host of celebratory event with SVVSD parents in a Bilingual capacity uplifting parent involvement during the 2020-2021 school calendar year with a show of culturally representative original storytelling,  performance and poetry.

Spoken Word performer, City of Longmont Dia de Muertos Celebration, 2021
Featured artist for state-wide holiday celebration highlighting contributions, community involvement, culture and leadership of Hispanic community in the Longmont area, recognized as the biggest festivity in the state of Colorado.