Hello, my name is Sonja Silva Lucero, and I grew up here in Ignacio. I’ve been a Registered Nurse (RN) for 20 years and have worked at the Southern Ute Health Center for four and a half years. 

In 1987 I graduated in the top three of my high school class.  In 1991 I graduated from Colorado College with a BA in Religion and a minor in Urban Studies.  After college, I obtained certifications in both Herbal Studies and Massage Therapy. Finally, in 2005 I became an RN through Front Range Community College. 

During my first five years as an RN, I worked at the public hospital, Denver Health.  There, I worked on a chemo, telemetry and dialysis unit where I obtained amazing nursing experience.  Then, for the next 10 years, I worked as a Home Health and Hospice nurse. During COVID-19 pandemic, I considered leaving nursing and briefly opened “Sonja’s Restaurant.” This restaurant about killed me because my employees kept getting sick. Eventually, someone told me about the RN position opening at the Southern Ute Health Center. I applied and was hired in the fall of 2021.  

I teach Basic Life Support for the Tribal Health Department at the Southern Ute Health Center, and I have obtained my Wound Care Certification. During college, a friend came to visit me here in Ignacio and she said, “I always wondered why you talked to everyone on campus. This whole town is friendly!”    

I feel blessed to call Ignacio my home. I love my job at the Southern Ute Health Center, and I feel honored to serve the Tribe as an RN.