Michelle Cerami (they/them) is one of the professional staff that supervises the Peer Mentors based in the Living-Learning Communities, including the Asian and Pacific Islander Aggies Living-Learning Community in Redwood Hall.

As a Residential Academic Specialist, Michelle has the privilege of supervising Living Learning Community Peer Mentors who provide holistic academic support to residential students. Prior to working at UC Davis, they worked in first-year experience, leadership, and diversity & inclusion programs and teaching grades 3-9. Michelle is passionate about developing diversity, equity, and inclusion co-/curricular programming for first-year and transfer students and culturally-responsive training for the peer mentors that support those student populations.

Michelle graduated with a Master’s degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs from the University of San Francisco and wrote their Master’s thesis on best practices for improving American Indian undergraduate enrollment and retention. Prior to this, Michelle earned their B.A. in Religion from California Lutheran University with minors in Sociology and Asian studies and went on to work in Sendai, Miyagi, Japan while on the Japan Exchange and Teaching program (JET).

They currently live on unceded Nisenan land, now known as Sacramento, CA, with their rescue cats Olaf & Yuki. Michelle watches all of the international franchises of RuPaul’s Drag Race and still plays Pokémon Go. 

Region in the diaspora you identify with: Angeleno-born; white & American Indian; adoptee