CSUB provides ‘tools’ for graduate to help others

Miranda understands firsthand how much of an impact social work and therapy can have. After serving in the Marines from 2002 through 2006, Miranda decided to leave the military and return to civilian life.

"I made the best out of a lot of bad situations, but it was tough. I realized that life wasn't for me," he said.

Miranda found himself struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder while living in Los Angeles after completing his contract with the Marines. After being arrested multiple times for driving under the influence and serving some jail time, Miranda realized he needed to make a change to improve his quality of life.

"I was thinking 'My life isn't going anywhere. Something's wrong with me,'" he said. "I had secluded myself from family and friends. I was homeless and I had nowhere to go."

Miranda went to his local Veterans Affairs office and asked for help. A social worker was able to connect him with a facility in Hollywood that specifically served veterans where he could receive treatment, including individual and group therapy. Although he expected to be there for just a few weeks, Miranda ended up staying for eight months.

"I felt at home, at peace. I could relate a lot to what everyone else was going through," he said.

After leaving the center, Miranda felt his life was in a much better place. He wanted to go back to college and considered doing so in LA, but ended up moving back to Bakersfield due to the lower cost of living. He resumed his education at Bakersfield College in 2022, got his associate degree and transferred to CSUB a year later.

"I was committed to getting an education, and my military background gave me the discipline to do it," he said. "It was like something out of a movie to walk on a big campus and be a college student. It was a really good feeling."

Miranda said he's been able to develop strong relationships with his professors at CSUB, as well as fellow religious studies majors.

"No matter what our backgrounds are, we were all connecting because of religious studies," he said. "It was like being back in the military."

One of the faculty members Miranda has developed a close bond with has been Assistant Professor of Religious Studies Dr. Joseph Florez, who said Miranda has been a devoted student.

"Over the last several years, I watched Freddy grow not only as a leader among his peers in the classroom, but also as a keen thinker who brings his life experiences to bear on topics like religious literacy, pluralism and social justice," he said. "His efforts to help others understand their experiences as a valid source of knowledge and wisdom are admirable, but also necessary in any community that seeks greater understanding of our society's diverse and changing character."

In addition to his time at CSUB, Miranda has been doing his part to help other veterans. He worked part-time for two years at the Bakersfield Vet Center, where he helped set up appointments for clients, hand out materials and participate in events.

For the past several months, Miranda has been doing outreach work for the Wounded Heroes Fund, an organization that supports Kern County veterans and their families through grants, food distributions and other programs.

"It's very rewarding to be able to help out other veterans in so many ways," he said. "I was a veteran who was in need of dire help, and now I'm able now to help out others."

Casey Schaubschlager, director of programs and outreach for the Wounded Heroes Fund, said Miranda stands out at the organization due to his dedication to serving veterans and their families, both at work and beyond.

"In the office, he consistently delivers exceptional results while fostering a collaborative environment," he said. "Beyond his job duties, Freddy's commitment to personally assisting veterans demonstrates his exceptional character and sense of service. His dual dedication to workplace excellence and veteran support makes him not just a valuable employee but an inspirational colleague whose impact extends well beyond our office walls."

For Miranda, these educational and professional endeavors are all part of an effort to help people in the community in any way he can as a way of giving back for the assistance he has received himself over the years.

"It's a feeling of doing God's work. It's about trying to do human kindness," he said. "We all see how bad the world is, but there's so much good out there - we just don't see it as much. It gives me satisfaction when I'm doing good work and helping others. It's very rewarding."