As the Organizing Coordinator and Co-Director they work beside their team, collaborating to empower leaders at the neighborhood level across issues. Socorro sees this work connected towards global liberation. Born and raised in San Jose, they have respect for all of the brilliance that has been here long before the tech companies boomed.
Socorro studied Ethnic Studies and Public Policy at Mills College in Oakland to understand the link between race and power structures. Formerly a summer camp counselor at the Children's Discovery Museum, they also have a passion for empowering youth to be active leaders and visionaries for the worlds we need in the future. Socorro envisions a world where we treat the earth and each other with care. When they're not organizing, Socorro is probably napping, gardening, creating art, spending time with their family, or at the beach.
Jose "Tony" Romero Co-Director & Community Organizer [email protected]
Born in Tecate, Baja California, Mexico. It wasn't until the early age of ten that he moved to San Diego county with his family. As a first generation college student, he learned the importance of having a guide or mentor to navigate the higher education system. This inspired him to work for Trio Educational Talent Search, where he become a academic advisor for college-bound high school students. He eventually served as a mentor to middle school students with AmeriCorps. He later transitioned to the role of "Youth and Family Development Volunteer" for the Peace Corps Ecuador program.
Currently, Tony is a Co-Director and community organizer at LUNA. As an organizer, he is currently working with the Wooster & 26th neighborhood supporting tenants with organizing skills to help prevent potential displacement with the Urban Villages the city is developing in the neighborhood. Additionally, Tony is supporting the San Antonio St. Mobile Home Park residents on their quest to become a housing cooperative. Tony looks forward to implementing all his knowledge to help LUNA grow. He has two master's degrees in Public Administration and International Education Management.
Gabriel is originally from Petatlán, Guerrero, a town on the Mexican Pacific coast. His immigrant journey started when his family decided to come to California in the early 1990’s. They settled in Poco Way, a neighborhood in East San Jose. Gabriel went to Dorsa Elementary School, Lee Mathson Middle School, and graduated from William C. Overfelt.
Gabriel got involved in organizing in the early 2000’s when he was studying at Foothill Community College to fight against budget cuts in education, better services for students of color in all California State Universities, & worked with other organizations to fight for immigrant rights, workers rights, & other issues affecting the Latino community. Gabriel has advocated to bring awareness about the struggles undocumented students face in higher education. This brought him to get involved in the efforts to bring statewide financial aid for undocumented students in California colleges. In 2012 the "California Dream Act" was signed by Governor Brown. Gabriel has been very active in organizing and volunteering fighting for comprehensive reform for everyone and other issues of importance. In the last 5 years, Gabriel has been focused on housing and tenants rights, advocating for fair housing, and making sure that the Latino community has a seat at the table. In 2008 he received a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology & in 2017 he got a graduate degree in Applied Anthropology. In 2021, Gabriel received the Leadership, Organizing, and Action: Leading Change program certificate from Harvard University.
From Guadalajara, Jalisco. She spent a large part of her life there and received a nursing degree. When she migrated to the US, she (like many immigrants) started working in the fields picking grapes in Paso Robles, CA. She also worked as a caregiver for the elderly and for the last 10 years she cleaned houses.
In 2017 she attended two impactful events. First being the Unity & Freedom Presidential Forum in Pasadena, CA with local organization SIREN. Here she learned that with movements you can make a change. Also, she learned that she could influence people who can make a change. She also attended the Abolish ICE conference in Fresno, CA. There she connected with a lot of folks and still keeps in touch with them. This experience further engrained the fact that everyone has rights, regardless of immigration status and to not be scared of ICE/Detention Centers.
Later she was inspired to develop herself academically by attending Spade Work, Mujeristas, training from Sacred Heart Community Service, and Organizers Learning Community, and Pala, Community Health Workshop, a training held by Stanford. Opportunities like these helped structure her work and better her communication with the community and her team. To Yurina, this development allowed her to understand that embracing these opportunities allows one to maximize efficiency by prioritizing steps and having a clear view of objectives.
At the beginning of her time in LUNA, Yurina was the immigration organizer working with "Papeles ParaTodos" (PPT). Now she is a housing organizer, working alongside the residents of the San Antonio and Wooster/26th chapter. As a housing organizer she focuses on informing residents of displacement, the importance of knowing their rights as tenants and as humans, and understanding how thinking collectively that what happens to your neighbor is something that impacts you as well and that their well being is connected to your wellbeing.
Cesar is a South Bay Area SF native born to Mexican immigrant parents in West San Jose. He moved to Santa Clara in his early teens as a result of his family's financial hardships during the Great Recession. Little did he know that that experience would shape his education and turn into his passion.
After graduating from high school he continued to pursue his education at the community college level, and made one of the best decisions of his life. He decided to attend a speaker event held at Mission College on American Racism. This event resonated with him so deeply he declared his major as Sociology and shortly after transferred to San Jose State University to pursue his Bachelor’s Degree.
During this time, he was a student organizer and co-founder of a student organization, Students Against Displacement (SAD). SAD was politically active, both on and off campus, pushing for housing reform with a coalition of community organizations in the San Jose area. His activities during his studies led him to look for work in San Jose where he could continue his passion as an organizer leading him at LUNA.
Born in San Salvador, El Salvador where she lived until the age of four. She, alongside her mother and older sister, migrated to California to reconnect with their immediate family and to seek a better life that included safety, better medical resources, and a better future.
As the first in her family to attend college, she embraced the challenge of navigating higher education, discovering the resources and support needed to successfully earn a B.A in Studio Art. During her time in college, she joined many student organizations such as Students Advocates for Higher Education (SAHE) and Students for Quality Education (SQE) that advocated for undocumented students and other marginalized communities in higher education. This ignited her passion for social justice, ultimately guiding her to a fulfilling career in nonprofits dedicated to community organizing and empowerment.
In 2022, she joined LUNA as Communications Specialist. As a communications specialist, she leverages the power of art to amplify community organizing efforts, creating engaging messaging that inspire collaboration and drive social change. Estefania aims to use language as a tool for empowerment, carefully crafting messages that uplift individuals and encourage them to embrace their strengths and potential.
Past Team Members
Former team members who helped plant seeds at LUNA
Mariana Mejia
From Mexico City, Mexico Mariana and her family migrant journey began when she was 7 years old. Growing up on the East Side of San Jose, she witnessed the challenges her community faced, which inspired her dedication to advocacy. Mariana Mejia has a deep commitment to social justice. Through her volunteer work and various campaigns, Mariana continually seeks to create lasting and positive change within her community.
During her time at LUNA, she was the community organizer for the Gramercy chapter. As their organizer she worked alongside the neighborhood association, Union y Fuerza Gramercy (established in March 2023) to guide monthly community meetings, neighborhood clean-ups, informative presentations and more, fostering unity and empowerment.
Mayra Pelagio
Mayra was raised in Penjamo, a small pueblo in Guanajuato, Mexico. At the age of 13, she set on a journey to establish her roots in East San Jose with her mom and two siblings.
Mayra left her community in East San Jose to attend UC Davis where she earned a degree in Environmental Science and Management and Wildlife Conservation Biology. Additionally, she completed a Master's degree in Environmental Studies from San Jose State University.
During her time at LUNA, Mayra used her own experiences facing poverty, language barriers, and discrimination to enhance the organization's mission and to build leadership in the neighborhoods she grew up in.
Ellena Tran
With an interest and passion for helping others, Ellena naturally found herself in various positions of supporting the community, such as volunteering at a domestic violence shelter for a local nonprofit, Asian American Community Involvement (AACI), working as a Project Coordinator for the Vietnamese Voluntary Foundation (VIVO), and was a paralegal focused on immigration and family cases. During her time at LUNA, as Deputy Director, Ellena used her community and professional experiences to help support the different campaigns at LUNA and to continually identify personal ways she could be part of the changes she hopes to see in the world.