Meet Clark Fitzgerald, a 2010 Miller Scholar Alum who is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics & Statistics at CSU Sacramento. He currently teaches courses in statistics, computing, and data science. Surprisingly, becoming a professor was not part of his long-term plans, nor was attending UC Davis, where he earned his PhD in statistics.
The Miller Scholars Program is excited to welcome Liliana “Lili” Iglesias as the Program Lead for the 2026-2027 academic year. She will lead program operations alongside a graduate student instructor and a program assistant, providing the new 2026 cohort with academic transition support and research guidance.
When Esme Nuno Mora and Julio Cedillo applied to UC Berkeley, it felt surreal. Like many first-generation and low-income community college students, they had their sights set elsewhere. Berkeley felt ambitious and perhaps even out of their reach. However, after receiving a generous financial aid package and an invitation to visit the campus, everything shifted.
For many prospective community college students, applying to the number one public university can be daunting and impossible. For Kathleen Jones-West, that distance once felt insurmountable, even when she was living a few blocks away from UC Berkeley! But today, thanks to her vision, perseverance, and the support of the Miller Scholars Program, thousands of transfer students have been able to bridge that gap.
The Miller Scholars Program welcomes 10 outstanding community college transfer students each year, offering them the opportunity to grow as leaders, researchers, and changemakers in their communities. Originally funded for just 10 years, the program’s lasting impact at Berkeley has carried it into its 29th year—supporting more than 250 scholars and counting! But what began as a simple idea has grown into a powerful legacy. Let’s take a look at how it all started—and where it stands today.
Meet the 28th cohort of the Miller Scholars Program! This interdisciplinary community of scholars is about to wrap up their first semester here at Berkeley and at the beginning of conducting their research/community project. Check out their profiles!
Congratulations to Julio Cedillo for being named a Haas Scholar for the ‘25-’26 cohort! Julio was among twenty students selected to build a supportive intellectual community during his final year at UC Berkeley. Haas Scholars are evaluated on the merit and originality of their proposal for independent research or creative projects that will serve as the basis for a senior or honors thesis.
Arlinda Perez didn’t know what to expect when applying for the Miller Scholars Program. Coming from East Los Angeles College as a student parent, she meticulously browsed UC Berkeley websites to find resources and eventually came across Miller Scholars. Despite having doubts about being in the program, she became a Miller Scholar and launched her academic trajectory.
Esme Nuno Mora, a second-year Miller Scholar, has been named a PPIA Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School. Esme will join a diverse cohort of undergraduates in a rigorous seven-week program this summer that prepares students for graduate programs in public policy and international affairs.
Julio Cedillo ('23-'24 Cohort) has been awarded a Latinx Research Center (LRC) Faculty-Mentored Undergraduate Research Fellowship (FMURF) for the '24-'25 Academic Year! Julio will be part of the LRC Fellowship's fourth cohort alongside Associate Professor of Sociology, Armando Lara-Millán.
Briana Perez's (23-24 Cohort) research for the George A. Miller Scholar Research Colloquium centered around media influences on high school students and their higher education options. She piqued the interest of the Associate Director of the Centers for Educational Equity and Excellence (CE3) and noted that first-generation career trajectories differ from non-first-generation research since first-gen students are limited in their knowledge; prompting her to invite her to do research for CE3.
