Re/Generation 2021: West

Call To Action is thrilled to announce our Re/Generation cohorts for 2021! In a series of posts, we are introducing the young adults who are joining our community through this program. Re/Generation gathers, supports, and mobilizes a growing community of young Catholic change-makers as they discern their particular vocations and lead the church toward healing and justice. Moving into our fourth programming year, we are introducing two cohorts under the Re/Generation umbrella. The POC Cohort is a cohort exclusively for people of color, while the Local Cohort provides dedicated support to people looking to build local progressive Catholic communities outside traditional parishes.

Tiffani Castro
POC Cohort

Tiffani was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley (SFV) located in Southern California. Born to a Honduran family, she has been very aware of the plight of refugees and immigrants coming from Latin America, specifically those from Central America. Tiffani has been motivated in combating homelessness, helping the poor, and taking care of the environment by both her faith and what she believes is the duty of any human being. Yet, as a Central American she is very aware of the role the Catholic Church played in the genocide of her ancestors, the Indigenous people of the Americas, especially those in Honduras. Thus, Tiffani has worked to support Indigenous rights in any way she can. She looks up to the Virgin Mother; the national hero of Honduras, the Indigenous man Lempira; and her family members.

Corrina Griffiths
POC Cohort

Corrina is a bi-racial, queer educator from San Jose, CA. She currently works at Cristo Rey San Jose as Director of Student Activities/Health and Wellness. She is passionate about her work with students and continuing to create inclusive spaces in and out of the classroom. Each day she gets to meet students where they are, and walks alongside them as they grow and learn. She is inspired by a faith community that allows for all individuals to feel truly loved and accepted as they are. When she's not in the classroom you can find her drinking coffee, hiking, or cuddling with her cat.

Zoe Jaspers
Local Cohort

Zoe (they/them) is a recent graduate in both History and Christian Theology, where their work centered on queer theology and the histories of queer religious communities. As they are wrapping up their first year of service, Zoe hopes to continue following their call to work in Jesuit campus ministry. In their free time, Zoe can be found knitting, discussing the philosophical and anthropological implications of the Mars rovers, competing in international scavenger hunts, befriending neighborhood cats, and drinking perhaps a bit too much iced coffee.

Jessica Lemes da Silva
Local Cohort

Jessica (she/her) is a teacher, musician, and writer. Originally from Miami, FL she now resides on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations (Vancouver, BC). Having been nurtured by a Portuguese grandmother more Catholic than many popes, her writing explores themes of belonging, building families (chosen and otherwise), and bridging the worlds of queerness and Catholicism. Jessica hopes to create space for local queer Catholics looking to reengage their faith. She holds a BA in Music from the University of Miami and a Bachelor of Education from the University of British Columbia. Jessica has worked in post-production sound for film, and now teaches elementary music in the public school system. When not hanging out with her wife and two young daughters, she can be found writing and consuming too much coffee.

Katya Lohngoen
POC Cohort

Katya (she/her) is based in the San Francisco Bay Area and a proud daughter of Thai immigrants. She is a California native who was raised in the Catholic faith by her single mother. Her identity as a mixed race Catholic as well as being a child of divorce has always been an integral part of her passion for combating social injustice. She also is passionate about creating space where all are welcome through weaving multilingual or multicultural liturgical music into celebrations. She holds a Bachelors of Music from the San Francisco Conservatory. While attending university, the stark contrast between her classical music life and the people she would see on her walk home reignited a yearning to serve others. After graduation, she served as a JV in Aberdeen, WA for two years. Katya is excited to connect with more progressive Catholics and build community through inclusion, building connections and radical love.

Nic Peacock
Local Cohort

Nic is a nonbinary high school science teacher. They grew up Catholic in a small town outside of San Antonio. They moved to the SF Bay Area to go to school at Santa Clara University studying engineering. They became engrossed in Ignatian theology in their time at SCU and after graduating, spent a year as a City Year AmeriCorps member. They then joined the ExCEL program at SCU to receive their Masters in Education. Nic is also an avid nerd enjoying everything from comics to cosplay to Dungeons and Dragons.

Joe Ramelo
POC Cohort

After graduating from Golden Gate University in San Francisco, Joe (he/him) went on to study theology in Berkeley. His research interests are in the intersection of theology and capitalism with special attention to the Protestant Work Ethic and Catholic Social Teaching. A lifelong Catholic, Joe studies the works of Jon Sobrino, Dorothy Day, Bryan Massingale, and Jung Mo Sung, among others. When he is not in community, Joe is an introvert who enjoys napping, cheering (or crying) for the San Francisco Giants, and watching “The Golden Girls.” (Joe is a total Rose Nylund. “It’s like the old saying: you can let two fighting herring duke it out in a purse, but don’t ever count on taking that purse to a formal function.”)

Katie Sharar
Local Cohort

Katie lives in the Arizona desert with her partner and two cats. She enjoys going for walks, watching the sunset as a daily ritual, public libraries, and road trips. She has worked on border and immigration issues for over 15 years, and constantly seeks to balance engaging the heartbreak of the world with the possibilities and delight of the world.