In a class on art for public health, the group made a quilt about shame. Frida Calvo Huerta’s square showed a kneeling figure struggling under the weight of interlacing ouroboroses, an ancient symbol of a snake eating its own tail to express the unity of all things and the never–ending cycle of change. For Frida, her image represented “an intersection of my marginalized identities.”
A fifth-year student majoring in interdisciplinary studies, Frida immigrated from Mexico City to San Francisco as a child. While she could read and write English at grade level, it wasn’t until she began devouring the Harry Potter series — with a notebook and dictionary by her side to look up unfamiliar words — that she felt more comfortable speaking the language.
When the prospect of college arose, Frida knew she would go to a place called “the university,” but she didn’t know how to get there. “I had at least two teachers who saw that I loved school and were like, ‘You should go to Berkeley,’” she says, “So it became my dream school.” Yet her high school did not help with the application process and she had to piece together support from multiple people and organizations.
“One of the main reasons I wanted to come [to Berkeley] was because of the Undocumented Student Program.” — Frida Calvo Huerta
Eventually her dream of Berkeley — and finding holistic support for undocumented students like her — came true. When she began experiencing challenges with her housing, studies, and mental health, she sought out the Undocumented Student Program for support in getting therapy, emergency grants, and accommodations to reduce her course load.
That’s when Frida’s potential took off. Combining her interest in public health, research, and design — and fearless in her pursuit of partners and funding — she founded a free, 10-month program that pairs undocumented Cal students with undocumented high schoolers and transfer students to guide them through the application process, financial aid and scholarships, and transition to college life. “Not having access to a single organization that provides the specific support I was seeking as an undocumented student was a huge motivating factor for me to create UndocuScholars,” she says. “I felt comfortable sharing my status, but not all students have that. My program provides community support and necessary resources to go to college that didn’t exist before.”
UndocuScholars’ first-year outcomes are breathtaking. Frida hired five undocumented UC Berkeley students to serve as mentors, who are paid, and 11 high school and transfer students participated. Of those, five accepted their offer to Berkeley, every student was accepted to every California State University they applied to, and every student is receiving a full ride to their university of choice. For 2024–25, 29 students are participating in UndocuScholars.
During UndocuScholars’ first year, five participants accepted their Berkeley offer, and every participant received a full ride to their university of choice.
In addition, Frida received funding to research her own program and interviewed 11 mentors and students. “My hypothesis came true. Being undocumented sucks, but this program empowered them to reframe their lived experiences, increase their confidence, and, ultimately, thrive,” she says. “I kicked it out of the ballpark on the first run.”
Frida has also spoken at several conferences and — with the extraordinary work she has already amassed — is on a fast track to getting a Doctor of Public Health. Like her quilt square, she is both lifting herself and her fellow undocumented students to higher heights.
