Cole Militano is a recent graduate of Butte College, now continuing his studies at California State University, Chico. We aim to highlight and share some of his experiences to build connections for those students who will be moving up to the next stage of their educational journey.
Starting from the beginning, Militano recalls that the hardest step to get into Butte College was overcoming the entry hoops with administration. The curriculum itself follows as a close second, describing it to be a “little rough.” However, he believes this is the case because the education is great and pretty in depth. When asked, Militano pointed out that Library Skills was the hardest class he’d taken, only netting him a single credit in the end! He recalls the “genuine and supportive mentors” as one of the beautiful aspects of Butte College, citing Angel Ventura-Plascencia and Brian Donnelly as two influential people that helped him.
Militano most notably served as the President of Butte College’s Associated Student Government, which is not an easy task while being a full-time student with a heavy work schedule. He recalls it being, “quite the whirlwind, lots of emotions, and time spent training.” As the AS president, Militano was tasked with overseeing the weekly board meetings, attending countless events, and sitting on multiple committees.
During his time, he acted as a prime advocate for the AB 1855 bill, supported underrepresented students by incentivizing more educational opportunities, along with “securing over $85,000 in grants for student clubs and organizations.” One of his most notable accomplishments was promoting first-generation Latina/x student empowerment through the “Tú Puedes Mijita” event.
After receiving his Associate of Arts for Transfer in political science, Militano went straight for CSU Chico and will begin his master’s in public administration. He did find the transitioning period to be a little rocky for the most part, explaining that the process is essentially several hoops to jump through and feels the need for it to be more refined.
Just recently, Militano ran for Associated Student President at Chico State. He ran a great campaign with lots of outreach using connections, several late nights, and some $1,500. Although not ultimately elected, he has great appreciation for his running mates and knows that all the AS positions will be in good hands.
Looking to the future, Cole Militano aspires to pursue a master’s in public policy and administration and his doctoral degree later down the line. He wishes to work towards advocating for “meaningful reforms that benefit communities,” through legislation and public policy. Another possible career Militano has in mind is achieving a high-ranking managerial position within the federal or state government. And we’ll leave it here; we hope to see the best for our fellow students as we continue onto the next stage of our educational journey.
