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.
“It felt like someone was investing in me,” Esme recalled. “I underestimated my own capabilities.”
The moment of validation would mark the beginning of a journey that led them from community college to undergraduate research, policy advocacy, graduate school admission, and acceptance to some of the top universities in the nation and around the world.
Esme’s story, alongside that of fellow Miller Scholar Julio, reflects the transformative role that undergraduate research can play in the lives of transfer students. Through the Miller Scholars Program, both students discovered not only how to conduct research but also how their own experiences could become powerful sources of knowledge and change.
2023 Miller Scholars Colloquium in the Berkeley Faculty Club
Neither student arrived at Berkeley expecting the journey they’d embarked on.
For Esme, financial aid and Berkeley support programs, such as the Berkeley Hope Scholars Program, played a major role in her decision. As a first-generation, low-income student, she found a campus ecosystem that already recognized students from backgrounds like hers.
Julio’s journey was similarly shaped by mentorship. While attending San Diego City College, Professors Sarah Pitcher and Marilyn Espitia encouraged him to apply to a University of California campus despite his doubts.
“I was like, that’s not me,” Julio said. “But they kept pushing me to take a chance.”
That encouragement became pivotal. Berkeley became the first UC campus to offer him admission. After visiting campus and meeting students who shared similar identities and aspirations, he realized Berkeley could become a place where he belonged.
Both students shared a common misconception; neither initially saw themselves as researchers.
For Julio, that changed in a community college research methods course. His professors helped him realize that research was not reserved for experts, but could begin with the questions people carry from their own experiences.
“Our lived experiences provide perspectives that not everyone is aware of,” he said.
Esme came to a similar realization through her own academic journey. She argues that many students underestimate the research skills they already possess.
“Research isn’t new,” she said. “If you’ve ever had to figure something out, ask questions, or navigate a complicated system, you’ve done research!”
The Miller Scholars Program provided both students with an opportunity to transform their curiosities into structured inquiry.
Like many undergraduate researchers, both researchers, both students began with ambitious ideas that evolved as they gained experience.
Esme entered the program with a broad goal of improving educational support for students experiencing homelessness. As a former McKinney-Vento student herself, she understood firsthand the barriers that unhoused youth face when pursuing higher education.
As her project developed, she identified a critical issue: the University of California application lacked a mechanism for students to identify themselves as having experienced homelessness.
“How are they supposed to understand my circumstances?” Esme remembered when she was applying to colleges without the McKinney-Vento identification checkbox.
That question became the foundation of her Miller Scholars project. Rather than attempting to overhaul support systems immediately, she focused on a crucial first step, identifying the students who needed support in the first place.
Her work eventually contributed to the addition of a McKinney-Vento identification checkbox on the UC application, helping ensure that students with similar experiences can be recognized and connected with resources.
Julio’s project followed a different path. Initially interested in theoretical questions about borders, identity, and diaspora communities, he quickly realized the scope was far larger than what could be accomplished in a single undergraduate project.
Instead, he narrowed his focus to questions of Latinidad and identity formation among student organizations at UC Berkeley. Drawing from sociological theory and his own experiences as a Chicano student, he examined how students police and deploy cultural boundaries.
The project allowed him to explore larger questions about identity while grounding his work in the lived experiences of Berkeley students.
If there was one theme that emerged repeatedly throughout both students’ journeys, it was the importance of mentorship.
Esme credits mentors from community college, Berkeley Hope Scholars, and policy organizations for helping him refine his ideas and navigate unfamiliar academic spaces.
Julio found guidance through professors, graduate students, and researchers who helped make academia feel less intimidating.
His Miller Scholar Mentor was a Ph.D. student in his department, whom he connected with through LinkedIn during his first semester in Spring 2024.
“It felt more like having an older brother,” he said.
For transfer students arriving on a new campus with limited networks and only a few years before graduation, those relationships proved invaluable.
“Everyone has that person who gets you through the hardest part,” Esme said.
2023 Miller Scholars pose for a photo during their study session in Anchor House.
(Left): Julio Cedillo, Ingrid Xia Ardon, and Alejandro Hurtado Mendo
(Right): Briana Perez and Esme Nuno Mora
Courtesy of Briana Perez
Neither student’s journey ended with Miller Scholars. Both were admitted to the prestigious Haas Scholars Program, a dedicated fellowship program for seniors conducting theses with financial support.
After completing her project, Esme continued her work through the Haas Scholars Program, expanding her research to examine support systems for homeless and housing-insecure students across the University of California System.
This experience strengthened her commitment to policy research and advocacy. This fall, she plans to begin a Master of Public Policy at UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy, where she hopes to continue building evidence-based solutions for vulnerable student populations.
Julio also continued his research through Haas Scholars, shifting his focus toward military service, identity, and Latino political attitudes. The project built upon both his sociological interests and the research skills he developed through Miller Scholars.
This year, his academic journey reached a new milestone when he received admission to the University of Cambridge’s MPhil programme in Political and Economic Sociology.
While financial considerations remain a factor in his final decision, the acceptance itself represents a remarkable achievement.
“I never thought I’d get into Cambridge,” he said.
When asked what advice they would offer future Miller Scholars, both students emphasized the importance of embracing uncertainty.
Transfer students often feel pressure to maximize every opportunity and avoid mistakes. However, both scholars argue that growth requires experimentation.
“Dream big,” Esme said. “Don’t be afraid to mess up.”
Research, they explained, is rarely a linear process. Projects evolve. Ideas change. Questions lead to new questions.
The most important thing is to remain curious.
For both students, the Miller Scholars Program provided more than research funding or academic experience. It offered a community of peers navigating similar challenges, a network of mentors willing to invest in their growth, and the confidence to pursue ambitions that once felt impossible.
Their stories serve as a reminder that researchers are not born, they’re cultivated through opportunity, support, and the courage to ask questions.
And sometimes, all it takes is someone believing in a student’s potential before they believe in it themselves.
Both Esme and Julio graduated from UC Berkeley with bachelor’s degrees in Sociology in May 2026.
Julio and Esme smile for a photo outside of Zellerbach Auditorium for the 2026 Berkeley Sociology Commencement Ceremony.
Courtesy of Esme Nuno Mora
