Growing up undocumented in New York, Luna experienced firsthand the anxiety and fear felt by many students who are undocumented, or have parents who are undocumented. Nonetheless, she persevered. Despite what Luna now recognizes as a lack of support in the educational system, she went on to become the first in her family to graduate from college, then entered the LMU/Teach For America Partnership program in Los Angeles.

Through her experience as a middle school teacher while enrolled in the program, Luna concluded that she and many other educators lacked the resources to successfully advocate for their students and families. “I thought there would be more support for immigrant students, undocumented students, and students in mixed-status families,” Luna says. “But there were no concrete systems in place.”

Luna decided to delve into the implications of that lack of support. For her master’s thesis, which earned her LMU’s Education Researcher of the Year Award, Luna interviewed immigrant students, families and teachers on the impact of the fear of deportation. In the process, she learned the importance of the immigrant story found in every one of her students and their families, and how much it meant to many of them that they finally had a teacher who had grown up under similar circumstances. “I realized what an asset my experiences were as an educator, and that I had to use them to leverage change,” Luna says.

In 2017, Luna co-founded ImmSchools, a nonprofit organization that partners with K-12 schools and educators to support undocumented students and families through professional development, immigrant-centered workshops, and immigrant-friendly policies. In its first two years, ImmSchools trained approximately 1,000 educators to support the needs of 30,000 students and their families nationwide. The organization has also forged partnerships with school districts, charter schools and educational organizations to implement systemic changes and enforce policies that ensure safe and welcoming spaces that allow immigrant and undocumented students to reach their fullest potential. “The response has been tremendous, and it shows the great need for this work,” Luna says. “Educators are yearning for these programs.”

Luna’s national leadership extends beyond ImmSchools. As part of the first cohort of DACA TFA teachers in Los Angeles, she became a founding member of TFA’s national DACA Advisory Board, which helps to shape policies and support systems around undocumented students and DACAmented TFA teachers (teachers with DACA status), whose ranks have grown to approximately 250. Last year, Luna completed a six-month fellowship with Camelback Ventures, which provides seed funding, coaching and networking opportunities for early-stage entrepreneurs — particularly leaders of color and women.