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Our Team at She Was Once Inc.
Sandy Lomonico
Founder/Director of She Was Once Inc.
Hello, my name is Sandy! I came to this work because I was incarcerated as a youth and then again as a young adult (19 yrs old). I realized that the system was broken. I wanted to create change because my mother came to this country as an immigrant. She faced many struggles and I saw myself facing similar struggles but for different reasons. I learned about income inequality during undergraduate learning. I learned that systemic change is possible, as healing is possible, but that it takes brave people and action to create change. I became that change and participated in action. It is never too late. Through advocacy, education, legislative strategy and the power of the people, we can change the world. I am glad each one of you are part of this change. I am looking forward to assisting in commuting over 500 years of sentences just this year alone. I cannot do this without you.
Leyla Barkhordar
Human Resources Manager
Hello! My name is Leyla Barkhordar and I am a recent graduate of UCLA ('21) and Santa Monica College ('19) having earned a Bachelors of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Education Studies. I joined She Was Once Inc. after having taken a class at UCLA called Sociology of Crime where I learned about the incarceration system in the United States and was involved as an intern at Loyola Law School's Youth Justice Education Clinic where I worked with students with disabilities who were formerly incarcerated.
Meghan Lambert
Human Resources Manager
My name is Meghan and I am currently a rising junior at Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts. I am a double major in Psychology and Business & Management with a concentration in Human Resources and Diversity & Inclusion in Organizations. I serve as the Community Engagement Intern at the Center for Social Justice and Community Impact at Wheaton. I am also part of numerous clubs on campus including Feminist Association (Social Media Chair), Student Government (Marketing and Communications 2024), Students United to Serve (Co-Founder & Co-President), Healthy Masculinity Working Group, and more! I was drawn to this internship because I want to create change in the world. As a daughter of two incarcerated parents, I have seen firsthand how broken our system is. I have worked to combat multiple social-justice-related issues through other internship experiences and student-run organizations on my college campus. I hope to broaden my knowledge about the criminal justice system and learn how to help create changes to better it.
Our Team at She Was Once Inc.
Helena White
Program Manager
Hi! My name is Helena White. I am currently a rising senior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Although, my hometown is right outside New York City. I am double majoring in Psychology and Legal Studies with a certificate in Criminal Justice. I have been involved in various extracurricular activities and past internships that are looking to tackle social justice issues. I am super passionate about reforming our current criminal system and very excited to be a part of She Was Once Inc. to be able to help formerly incarcerated people.
Paula Narrahos
Program Manager
My name is Paula Naharros and I am currently a senior at Saint Louis University (´22) studying a double major in Public Health and International Studies with a focus in Latin America and the health sector. I have been living in various Latin American countries including Venezuela, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico and Panama where the justice system is not developed and almost non-existent. Therefore, I started She Was Once Inc. with the purpose of learning more about the justice system and taking action.
Catherine Knight-Diaz
Social Media Coordinator
Hello! My name is Catherine Knight-Diaz. I am currently pursuing a double major in Theater Studies and Public and Professional Writing from Montclair State University in Montclair, New Jersey. I am native to Connecticut though, having been born and raised in Hartford and Tolland County, and having gone to school for 6 years in Hartford, with my graduating high school being the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts. I joined She Once Was because having had family go through the carceral system as well as the political activism I am volunteering in having taken a focus related to prison reform and abolition, She Once Was Inc not only aligned with my desires for how the world should change and who needs support in our society, but feels like an organization that would help me establish skills that would help make me a better leader and force for good in my communities, as well as turn my work into a career I can live on.
Our Team at She Was Once Inc.
Makayla Gallegos
Legal Policy Research Coordinator
Hello! My name is Makayla Gallegos. A Colorado native, born and raised in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, my journey has recently brought me to the harbor-hugging city of Boston. I am a disciplined college graduate and a Juris Doctor candidate who is consistently driven by a desire to make a positive impact on our nation's legal system. I am passionate about criminal justice reform, particularly in promoting alternative solutions to incarceration and ensuring best outcomes for justice-involved individuals.
Paul Ryan Villanueva
Public Policy Analyst for Racial, Social, and Environmental Justice
My name is Paul Ryan. I just recently finished my first year as a graduate student at the Evans School of Public Policy at the University of Washington for a Master of Public Administration. My Bachelor’s degree was in Political Science with a focus on Political Economy. During my undergraduate years, I have experience in working as a legislative coordinator in Olympia. I worked with a nonprofit that focused on passing legislation that would affect communities of Color in Washington State. I have also done some campaign managing work for a student body election at UW. Before going into my graduate program, I had a fellowship with the UCLA Labor Center and was assigned to work as a Campaign Coordinator with Service Employee International Union (SEIU) where My interest in policy work grew after working with my first internship as a legislative coordinator.
Catherine Knight-Diaz
Social Media Coordinator
Hello, my name is Catherine! I came to work in this internship because I appreciated the remote flexibility, and I wanted to find work that would tie into my progressing involvement in political activism through the Democratic Socialists of America. Both my parents have gone through the carceral system before I was born and when I was young, and within the DSA I have a focus of Political Education, Housing Justice, and Immigration Justice, which prison reform, abolition, and helping those who have been in the system tend to orbit. I go to Montclair State University and have recently changed one of my majors to Public and Professional Writing, with my other being Theater Studies. I am hoping to gain more office and business friendly skills since I have been in food service and retail up to this point.
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