From Surviving to Succeeding

Magen Miranda's Butte College Journey

Magen Miranda’s journey at Butte College is the perfect example of resilience, transformation, and the impact of community support. What began as a personal decision to change her life has grown into a mission to help others and create a better future for her community.

“For the last thirty years, I was on drugs and not making very good decisions for myself,” she said. “When I started getting into recovery, it just seemed like, wow, I have a lot of transferable skills that I can use for good instead of using them for criminal activity.”

Originally from Oroville, Miranda came to Butte College with a simple goal: to rebuild her future through education. After years of struggling with addiction, homelessness, and instability, she made the decision to pursue sobriety and enroll in classes at the Chico Center in fall 2023. Staff members connected her with resources through the Roadrunner Hub, where she received help accessing food assistance and transitional housing.

“Going from not having anywhere to live to having somewhere to lay my head so I could start coming out of survival mode and start getting into thriving mode allowed me to focus on my academics,” she said. “That's how my journey at college began.”

It had been fifteen years since Miranda had had her own place to call home. When she moved in, all she had was a bundle of blankets. She was unsure what the future would hold, but took the opportunity to relax, find her identity, and acclimate to being a full-time student.

“I really dove headfirst into anything and everything that I could,” she said. “The entire school faculty and staff and students have really just helped mold me into the person that I am now.”

Miranda, who graduated in 2026 with an Administration of Justice degree, plans to pursue a career in juvenile probation. Her passion for helping others grew from her own life experiences and her desire to create positive change for vulnerable youth. She also serves as a commissioner for the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention program in Butte County, where she advocates for education and support services for incarcerated youth.

Miranda credits the college’s welcoming environment and sense of belonging as major factors in her success. From tutoring services to campus employment in Dining Services, she says each experience helped her build confidence, discipline, and communication skills.

Sharing her story is about inspiring others who may be uncertain about their future to be persistent and seek help.

“There's been so many times where I'm like, I'm not going to get this. I'm not going to pass,” she said. “I am like the perfect example of a person that has shown growth throughout their entire journey here at Butte College…if you think that you can't, you can.”