OP, don’t wax poetic about this. Here’s your problem, in your own words:
“So I was accepted to UC Berkeley as a spring 2017 admit.” And:
“I’m a 19-year-old living and working in Texas.”
To UC, you’re on record with an educational intent. Very iffy to get past that.
You should be digging into the lengthy online info provided by the college and UCOP. They don’t want to give one more dollar of discounts than they have to. No matter the lofty ideals you believe in, the UC system is public, supported by their state resident taxes and struggling badly with finances. They declare the right to summarily deny when something even hints of fishy.