The UCI Underground Scholars Program creates a pathway for incarcerated, formerly incarcerated and system impacted individuals into higher education.
Our services are available to all eligible UCI affiliates, in compliance with Proposition 209.
Underground Scholars Initiative (USI) is the student org that works in partnership with the UCI Underground Scholars Program. USI is completely student-run. The two organizations are separate and aligned. To learn more information on USI at UCI, click here.
Check out this interview with our esteemed Director of the UCI Underground Scholars program, Hector Cervantes.
OUR SERVICES FOR STUDENTS
History of the Program
In 2018, the Underground Scholars Initiative (USI) student organization was established at UCI. After three years of providing their peers with support services, USI was able to advocate for the establishment of a program. In October of 2021, the UCI Underground Scholars Program was established.
Get Involved and Stay in Touch
OUR TEAM
Hector Cervantes, Director
| Hector Cervantesās work focuses on providing services to students directly and indirectly impacted by the justice system and advocating for broader criminal justice reform. Having experienced both incarceration and higher education, Hector uses this unique combination of life experiences to combat the pervasiveness of carceral system effects and to work to increase access to the university for justice-impacted persons. While completing his undergraduate and graduate studies here at UCI, Cervantes set out to help build a prison-to-school pipeline within his community. |
Cervantes received his Bachelor of Arts in History and Master of Urban and Regional Planning at UCI. Raised in nearby Santa Ana, Calif., Cervantes continues to strengthen his ties to UCI and surrounding communities. In 2017, as a Policy Advocacy Fellow with Human Rights Watch, Cervantes participated in a statewide effort to pass California Senate Bill 1391. In 2018, this bill was signed into law by former Governor Jerry Brown, ending the practice of sentencing 14 and 15-year-olds as adults.
In 2018, Cervantes was part of a group effort to establish the Underground Scholars Initiative at the University of California, Irvine (USI at UCI), a student group for formerly incarcerated and system impacted students. USI at UCI hosts events to raise awareness of formerly incarcerated students, and to provide information for community college students interested in attending UCI. Most importantly, the group continues to provide a safe space that fosters growth and empowerment amongst formerly incarcerated and system impacted students on campus.
Michelle McCullough
Michelle McCullough is a proud UC Irvine alumna and dedicated staff member with over 18 years in executive-level administrative roles supporting a range of departments across campusāalways driven by a deep connection to UCIās mission, spirit and community.
Most recently, she accepted a new position with the Underground Scholars Program, which supports students impacted by incarceration and systemic inequities to thrive academically and personally.
Known for her commitment to wellness, Michelle also serves as both a Wellness Ambassador and a BikeUCI Ambassadorāvolunteer roles that reflect her passions for health, cycling, and community service.
Michelle believes deeply in second chances and the transformative power of education. Having overcome challenges of her own, she brings empathy, dedication, and a strong sense of purpose to her work. Her greatest motivation comes from the students themselvesātheir resilience, potential, and stories. For Michelle, this isnāt just a role; itās a meaningful opportunity to support students as they thrive and build a brilliant future.
Ana Camino, Ambassador Program Student Coordinator
As an individual who did not get it right the first time, I champion second chances through higher education. I am passionate about uplifting marginalized communities through social justice reform. I am a first-generation transfer student pursuing a double major in Psychological Science and Criminology, Law, and Society at UCI’s School of Social Ecology. I aspire to pursue my Juris Doctorate and practice law to help those most in need of legal services but are often unable to access legal aid. I am grateful for the opportunity to assist transfer students through my role as the Ambassador Coordinator for the Underground Scholars Program, where I can share the knowledge I have gained through working at the Admissions & Records department at Cypress College and through my own experience. When I am not busy trying to save the world, I enjoy spending time with my two children, playing Scrabble with my boyfriend, and watching true crime documentaries.
IN THE NEWS
UC Irvine program helps former inmates navigate college
Hector Cervantes was 8 years old when he was first put in handcuffs for shoplifting. A few years later, he was arrested for the first time on suspicion of drunk driving.
āThat really sparked my entrance into the criminal justice system,ā he said during a phone interview. āI was put on probation. And then shortly after that began my trajectory through the criminal justice system. I was arrested for things like not going to school, for vandalism, not being able to pay my DUI fines.ā
The Santa Ana native and his four siblings were raised by a single mother. So he contends that many of his negative experiences were conditions of poverty, including his yearlong stint in a California prison for possession of controlled substances.
TESTIMONIALS
āUnderground Scholars does more than provide a support community to formerly incarcerated students on campus. They work to educate the campus community about the perspectives of and challenges faced by formerly incarcerated students…read more“
āUnderground Scholars provides a critical voice and support for our students here are UCI who are formerly justice-system-involved.ā
As I awaited my decision from UCIās admissions office in 2018, I received my second DUI and was jailed multiple times for fighting, public intoxication, and disturbing the peace. As a result, I began part of my first quarter at UCI on house arrest and spent some nights in jail. This made me feel as though I did not belong on campus. Fortunately, I met Hector from the Underground Scholars Initiative (USI) in the first weeks of the 2018 fall quarter before I began my house arrest, and he made me understand that the struggles that I had overcome up to that point made me deserving of the opportunity to study at UCI, for I had prevailed over barriers that other students would have faltered over. His sentiments struck me, and I gained comfort in knowing that there were people with a similar background on campusāI was not alone. … read more.
“UC Irvine was a totally different encounter from my community college experience. Honestly, it has its pros and cons but just the simple fact that I had gotten as far as I did makes me appreciate the campus a lot more.
My experience at UC Irvine turned phenomenally more fulfilling after I found the Underground Scholars of UC Irvine, I felt like I was at home again.
Words cannot explain the feeling inside of me when I met the men and women that genuinely understand my struggles due to their own personal experiences. … read more.“