'Don't let your situation define your destiny'

MOSES LAKE - Moses Lake landed an all-star when Miraclejoy Curtis decided to make this community her home.

The Big Bend Community College student was honored over the weekend by Gov. Jay Inslee in Olympia, as a top 5 selection to the Washington Trustee Association of Community and Technical College's Transforming Lives program.

"She is a priceless commodity," BBCC Title IX Director Terry Kinzel said. "And we are lucky to have her."

Kinzel said Curits is an inspiration and a constant reminder to other BBCC students that anything is possible.

Curtis is a graduate of Columbia Basin Job Corps, a program that helped get her off the streets in Seattle, and showed her life is what you make of it.

"I wanted to get away from the street life," she said. "I wanted to make something of myself."

She was bouncing from house to house, often from couch to couch with no stability and even fewer chance of making something positive out of her life, she said.

Her father died after battling cancer and her mother wasn't able to be there for her.

She had nine siblings and no stable parent around.

She was on her own at 17.

So after hearing there was a program in the Eastern part of the state that could offer her a high school diploma, a chance to earn college credits as well as food and housing, she jumped at the opportunity.

"I didn't let my situation define my destiny," she said. "That is what I try to tell my friends and other Big Bend students."

Once in the Job Corps program, her personality, inner light and potential to lead and inspire others became very apparent.

Instructors encouraged her to apply to Big Bend Community College, located just across the street from Job Corps.

"I was like what? Me go to college?" she said. "But they saw something in me that I didn't see in myself."

So after becoming the first person in her family to earn a high school diploma, she quickly became the first to enroll in college.

"I was shocked because no one in my family had ever talked about college. I though I wasn't smart enough, or rich enough, or even good enough to go to college," she said.

Once enrolled at Big Bend, Curtis continued to shine.

She was recruited by college staff to become a Peer Advocate, and helped new college students navigate the paperwork, classes and other issues first-time college students face.

She has spoken at out-of-state college conferences, sharing her story and the success of the school's Student Support Service Program, which helps disabled or first time college students.

Kinzel said they have to keep an eye on Curtis when she goes to the conferences.

"Because other schools are always trying to steal her away from us," she said. "Everyone wants a Miraclejoy at their school."

Curtis is half-way through her transfer degree at Big Bend and plans to continue her education at Central Washington University.

Her eventual goal is to begin a non-profit organization that would empower young black women.

"I want to show people who are in the same situation that I was in that they do have choices," she said. "I want to say 'hey I did it, you can too.'"

As she prepared for the award, which comes with $500, she said that her mother was going to be able to attend the event.

She said she is very excited to show her mother all that she has accomplished.

"I try to tell my family about the sororities and honor societies and they just don't get it," she said. "I can't wait for my mom to see me so I can tell her, 'see, this is what I've been talking about. This is what I've been doing.'"