The Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship program is the centerpiece of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s initiatives to increase diversity in the faculty ranks of institutions of higher learning. The program includes 48 member schools and consortia, including three South African universities and a consortium of historically black colleges and universities within the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) membership.
As of 2021, over 6000 students have been selected as fellows, more than 1000 of whom have earned their Ph.D. and over 190 of whom are now tenured faculty members. The great majority of those who have completed the Ph.D. hold or have held an appointment in the academy.
Cal State LA is proud to be one of five CSU campuses—including CSU Dominguez Hills, CSU Fullerton, CSU Long Beach, and CSU San Bernardino—that houses the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship program.
Program Description
During the academic year, students will attend bi-weekly meetings that would support various aspects of the Fellows’ personal and professional development and would expand upon topics introduced during the CSU MMUF Consortium Summer Experience and Cal State LA Humanities Summer Scholars Program, including “applying to graduate school,” “effective public speaking,” “examining the grad school application process.” Bi-weekly meetings would also address the research project process.
During the summer, students will participate in a consortium program with the five CSU MMUF campuses. This program will introduce new fellows to academic humanities and help them develop their research projects with the support of a faculty mentor.
- $4000 term stipends for each year in the program (2 years)
- $4500 summer stipends to conduct research with a faculty mentor (2 years)
- $600 travel stipends for travel-related expenses (2 years)
- $400 research stipend for research-related expenses
- GRE preparation
- Up to $10,000 repayment in undergraduate/graduate student loans, once entered into a Ph.D. program
- Guest lectures and social/cultural activities throughout the year
- Ongoing professional advising and moral support MMUF fellows benefit most from continuing their studies with other students moving toward similar goals, including MMUF fellows at other institutions, creating a local, regional, and national cohort and support system.
Cal State LA MMUF applicants should have a
- Minimum 3.2 GPA at the time of application, be on track to complete 48-60 semester units by the end of their second (sophomore) year/fourth semester.
- Sophomore or Junior standing
Selection Criteria
Applicants would be selected for Cal State LA’s MMUF Program based on the following criteria:
- Academic promise (e.g., GPA, recommendation letters, essay);
- Potential for a faculty career in academia in core Mellon fields of study, particularly in the arts, humanities, and humanistic social sciences;
- Contribution to diversity in their designated fields of study;
- Demonstrated commitment to understanding the barriers faced by underrepresented minorities, breaking down stereotypes, and increasing understanding across racial and ethnic groups;
- Willingness to consider graduate school in MMUF-approved humanities-based disciplines;
- Commitment to participating fully and enthusiastically in all aspects of the MMUF program, including attendance at conferences, meetings, and activities; and
- Status as a US citizen, permanent resident, as well as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) or undocumented status.
- A 500-word personal essay describing interest in one of the MMUF-approved disciplines, potential
career goals/interests in the professoriate, how the MMUF Program would be integral to their life
history and academic goals, and what they hope to achieve in the program. This essay can be submitted through the "Apply Now" tab below. - One letter of recommendation from a college or university faculty member who can document
academic potential. The letter-writer should send their recommendation directly to [email protected].
The application portal for the 2023-24 academic year is open.
Applications received after March 15, 2023 will only be considered if positions remain available.
The MMUF Program

MMUF fellows benefit most from continuing their studies with other students moving toward similar goals, including MMUF fellows at other institutions, creating a local, regional, and national cohort and support system. All students are welcome to apply to the MMUF Program. Applications are particularly encouraged from African Americans, Chicana/os,/Latina/os, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders, and members of other underrepresented groups in the humanities and humanistic social sciences.
MMUF Fellows 2022-23
Each year, four new MMUF fellows are selected. These newly selected cohorts of fellows join the previously selected cohorts of rising and graduating senior fellows, where they are provided with mentoring and financial support as they prepare for entry into Ph.D. programs and eventual careers as scholars and faculty members.
Kimberly Conde is a first-generation student and a political science major. Her experience in the Summer Bridge Summer Program at Cal State LA sparked her interest in how first-generation students use navigational capital tools in higher education. Her research the impact of various peer mentoring models on the success of first-generation Latinx students. Kimberly hopes that her scholarship and academic training will illuminate social-academic issues that affect first-generation Latinx students.
Shelley Cueto-Gonzalez (she/her) was born in Pasadena, CA but grew up in the East L.A. "hood." She is currently majoring in English at Cal State LA. Her research focuses on the relationship between William Shakespeare and rap music. Shelley explores the connections between these two seemingly different topics and examines how students use these cultural forms to support their mental health. Upon completing this project, she plans to obtain her Ph.D. in English and continue her investigations of the relationship between literature and music.
Tania Galvez is an Anthropology major with a minor in Woman, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Her research focuses on women’s health, particularly regarding healthcare access, in cross-cultural contexts. Her interest in the topic was aroused during familial visits to her mother’s family in Zamora, Michoacán, Mexico where medical facilities in the small town are limited. More recently, she has undertaken a research project that explores the temporal aspect of women’s health. Utilizing pre-Columbian pelvises from several dozen individuals recovered from a Maya cave, Tania will determine if women were at greater risk of suffering from osteoporosis than men in this sample dated to the ninth and tenth centuries.
MMUF Alumni
2021-2022
- Crisdel Aguila (Equity Intern, Walt Disney Corporation)
- Meagan Domingo (Cal State LA B.A in Communication Studies)
2020-2021
- Laura Pineda (Cal State LA B.A in Anthropology graduate)
2019-2020
- Abigail Calderon (Ph.D. Program in History at Yale University)
- Yadira Inez Tellechea (M.A. Program in Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies at Cal State LA and Graduate Student Coordinator, Cal State LA MMUF)
2018-2019
- Joselin Castillo (Ph.D. Program in Latin American Studies at University of New Mexico)
- Michelle Ceja (M.A. Program in Anthropology at Cal State LA)
- Janette Gill (Nursing Program at Mt. Saint Mary's University)
- Nancy Flores (Ph.D. Program in Sociology at University of New Mexico)
Contact Us
MMUF at Cal State LA Faculty Coordinator:
Mark Wild, Ph.D.
Professor of History
[email protected]