SVJI Staff: Meet Miranda!
Hello everyone and happy Wednesday! My name is Miranda Gonzalez, and I am a new Rural Projects Coordinator at the Sexual Violence Justice Institute with the Minnesota Coalition against Sexual Assault (MNCASA). I come recently from Sojourner Project, a nonprofit in the Twin Cities, that provided direct services for victim/survivors of sexual violence and domestic assault. I have a passion for working with community focused organizations to create systems change in response to sexual violence. I am honored to begin working with communities on a national level!
I started my career through a summer internship at Sojourner Project specifically working in their domestic violence shelter. At the end of the summer, I returned to Chicago where I was studying for my Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Criminal Justice at Loyola University. During my time in Chicago, I gained more firsthand knowledge of the workings of the criminal justice system. I interned with the Chicago Police Department focusing on community policing and the Cook County’s Attorney’s office. While I was at the Chicago Police Department, I formed connections with community members supporting local youth recreational programs in conjunction with the Chicago Police Department. Through my time at the Cook County’s Attorney’s office, I supported prosecutors during the court calendar, a sexual assault trial, and various other proceedings. With my knowledge of the criminal justice system, I graduated school, moved back to Minnesota, and returned to Sojourner Project and began a position as a legal advocate. I supported victim/survivors as they endured the process of the criminal justice system. I was also the lead facilitator of the community support group and had the honor of being apart of victim’s/survivor’s healing process. Throughout my various roles I have seen the importance of a community’s role in the victim/survivor’s healing.
I am thrilled to be able to begin the next step in my career and SVJI. I am grateful to be able to support communities as they continue to find ways to serve victim/survivors through creating systems change to better support victim/survivors. This last year, as a direct service provider I have seen the need for creative solutions to continue to support those that have experienced sexual violence. I have seen communities step up and continue to support victim/survivors in the times of a global pandemic. I am so excited to connect with you! If you have any questions, please reach out at mgonzalez@mncasa.org.
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