Slide 1 Hello and welcome to Amy K. Millers Storyboard: Life As A - - PDF document

Slide 1

AMY K MILLER’S STORY BOARD: LIFE AS A SPARTAN

Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they’re supposed to help you discover who you are — Bernice Johnson Reagon

Hello and welcome to Amy K. Miller’s Storyboard: Life As A Spartan. Below my title page is an inspirational quote by Bernice Johnson Reagon that reads: Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they’re supposed to help you discover who you are.

Slide 2

Background

Fun fact #1: I am obsessed with the Christmas season and will start listening to Christmas music on November 1st.  Name: Amy Kristina Miller  Hometown: Blissfield, MI  Family life: Older brother, Adam, who

is 26 and is currently attending Wayne State University and great parents, Ron and Ruth Miller.

 Pet: One sassy cat named Jack.

Here you will learn a little bit about my

• background. My full name is Amy

Kristina (with a K!) Miller. I am from Blissfield, MI. My family consists of my

• lder brother, Adam, who is 26 and is

currently working towards his master’s in Public Administration at Wayne State University as well as my parents, Ron and Ruth Miller. I have one pet, a sassy cat named Jack. Pictured in the photo (from left to right) is Adam, me, my boyfriend Michael Lowney, my mom, my dad and my cousin Denise Fisher. As you can see in Fun Fact #1, I love Christmas time, especially all the music and I always start listening to it on November 1st.

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Major

Fun Fact #2 4-H shaped my life and helped me to figure out that becoming a Youth Extension Agent is what I was meant to do.  Environmental Studies & Agri-science,

specializing in Agriculture & Natural Resource Communication.

 Why I chose this major  Passion for agriculture, 4-H and

communicating

 Future goals

My major is Environmental Studies and Agriscience, with a specialization in Agriculture and Natural Resource Communication and I’m part of Michigan State University’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. I chose this major because I have always had a deep passion for agriculture, 4-H and communicating since I was young. I participated in Monroe County 4-H and

• nce I learned that there was a way to

combine all my passions by attending MSU in the College of Ag. I knew I had to apply! Since I will be graduating in December

• f 2011, I have been exploring a lot of

different career fields. I would like to work for the Michigan State University Extension (MSUE) a Youth Educator, formally known as a Youth Extension Agent, which leads us to fun fact #2. 4- H has been such a major part of my life for so long that becoming a Youth Extension Agent is a natural path for me to take.

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Past Work Experience

First job:

Day-Care Directress at Meadow Montessori School. I watched the 3-6 year old children after school. Reading to the children was one of my favorite activities.

 Shaw Hall Culinary Services  Level III Supervisor from Aug. 2008-Aug.

2010

 Kettunen Center  Environmental and Outdoor Education Intern

from May 2009-July 2009

When I transferred up here in the fall of 2008, I started working at Shaw Hall Culinary Services as a server and soon was promoted to a Level III Supervisor. I

• versaw different shifts and had a team
• f about 25 student employees that I

worked with at one time. During the summer of 2009, I had the

• pportunity to intern with the Kettunen

Center, a retreat facility owned by the Michigan 4-H Foundation that offers a lot of youth conferences pertaining to environmental an outdoor education. I spent the summer teaching kids’ kindergarten through 5th grade about

forestry, macro invertebrates, wildlife and helped run the yearly summer camp. For my first job, I worked at Meadow Montessori for 2 years in high school. My official job title was a “day care directress” and I watched kids who were 3-6 years old. I mostly read to them, played on the playground and did arts and crafts. It was a blast!

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Current Work Experience

Fun Fact #3 While in Monroe County 4-H, I raised and exhibited sheep, ducks, geese, and rabbits for 13 years.  Student Administrative Assistant

through Michigan State University Extension (MSUE)

 Worm Farm Grant  4-H Millionaires Project  Future CEO Stars Magazine

I currently work at the Extension office in Ag Hall as a student administrative

• assistant. MY boss, Laura Allen, is such

a pleasure to work with! She’s offered me the opportunity to work on a variety of projects. The Worm Farm Grant is really cool because it allows youth to be young entrepreneurs in their hometown by learning how to market and sell worms. MY job is to interview these youngins and write journals about it. The second project that I just finished on was called the 4- H Millionaire’s Project and this project consisted of creating a portfolio for youth to learn and become literate with finances at an early age. The other project that I am working on is called Future CEO Stars and I interview young entrepreneurs who have created a

• project. I write articles about them and

the collection goes in the magazine. As you can see in fun fact #3, I have a little experience as an entrepreneur because I raised and exhibited ducks, geese, sheep and rabbits and learned a lot about marketing for the small and large animal sales at the end of the fair week.

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Future Work Experience

Fun fact #4

In Monroe County, we are offered the opportunity to participate in ―Slow Spokes‖ – a group that rides their bikes from Monroe to East Lansing for Expo Days – a grand total of120 miles 3 days. I’ve done it 4 times –talk about a rush!

 Exploration Days 2011  Host Coordinator Intern

State Awards are a great way to create a professional portfolio of all your accomplishments in 4-H and to improve leadership skills. Attending Expo Days is a wonderful way to meet other 4-H’ers from across Michigan and to take cool classes that interest you.

This summer I will have the opportunity to work as a Host Coordinator Intern for the 2011 Exploration Days at MSU. Expo Days is a Spartan Youth Program aimed at youth between the ages of 13- 19 and those attending have the chance to interact with 2,500 other youth from all over Michigan. There is also a State Awards celebration that happens during the event. State Awards are a professional portfolio in a certain interest area that youth create and interview about. It is a very high honor to win one. I’m pictured with my brother after winning Achievement. I’m so excited because I have attended this workshop for 7 years prior to attending MSU and its very cool to work behind the scenes and see how this massive undertaking works. Another fun part of Expo Days is Slow

• Spokes. Every year about 85 youth and

adults from Monroe County suit up in bicycle gear and ride 120 miles from Monroe to East Lansing in 3 days. It’s a great way to get to know people and to stay in shape.

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Activities

Fun Fact #5 I was reading the State News during a chemotherapy session and saw an article advertising homecoming court and decided to apply. I talked with my advisor, and she nominated me. After a rigorous interview, I was selected along with 9 other students!

 MSU Homecoming Court Member 2010

This year I had the honor of being selected to be a 2010 Homecoming Court Member. During my time as a part of court, I was a Spartan Ambassador and promoted MSU in a positive manner. I was even on WJR before one of the games to promote homecoming week! Pictured here are the court, the left picture depicts the professional picture with President Louanna K Simon and the right picture shows us with Sparty before the parade. What was really neat about this whole process was that I was reading the State News during a chemo session because I wanted to kill some time when I noticed an ad for homecoming court applications. I didn’t know much about this process, but I decided to turn in an application because it sounded like a lot of fun. My advisor nominated me and I was selected out

• f 100 applicants to interview. After 20

people interviewed, 10 were chosen and I was chosen! It was an incredible experience that I am glad to have had participated in.

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Activities

Fun Fact #6

Block & Bridle is such a fantastic club to belong to because it helps bring the animal agriculture industry to life through the weekly meetings.

 MSU Block & Bridle Club  Little International  2009 Advanced Sheep

Showman Winner

 Officer Positions  Secretary 2010-2011  Student Senate

Representative 2009-2010

Since I’ve been involved in the agriculture industry since I was young, I was really excited to learn about a club

• n campus called Block and Bridle.

Their sole purpose is to reach out and connect with others who are interested in the animal ag field. I have the chance to participate in their annual Little International competition and won the 2009 advanced sheep showman award. This year I showed a dairy heifer and was definitely presented a challenge. I had a lot of fun and loved learning new information about dairy.

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Volunteering

Just because you’re faced with an unexpected problem does not mean that you can not

• vercome the

adversity. Two pieces of advice:

• 1. Think

positive

• 2. Add humor

  Counseling and Raising Awareness about

Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

 Check out these articles  www.msucatalyst.com/catalyst-home/2010/10/14/fighting-

through-the-darkest-hour.html

 www.statenews.com/index.php/article/2010/10/normal_takes_on_

different_meaning_for_spartan

On Nov. 11, 2010 I was diagnosed with Stage 2A Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. This was a life changing event and I have learned to live everyday to the fullest because it could be taken away from you in a heartbeat. What mostly changed my life was how others were affected by my illness. You don’t know how many people you touch until there’s a tragedy. Lots of humor and positive thoughts came about this diagnosis and it made me want to educate and help others who are going through this or know someone who is. The links direct you to two articles that featured my story.

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Contact Information!

Thank you for checking out my story board! I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit about me. And don’t forget… GO GREEN!  Please feel free to contact me using this

information:

 Email: mill1898@msu.edu  Phone: (517) 673 - 4276  Address: Amy K. Miller

4722 Duvenay Drive Lansing, MI 48910

 Website:

www.msu.edu/~mill1898/portfolio/index.html

Here is my contact information. If you would like to reach me, please use any

• f these media tools.

Thank you for checking out my

• storyboard. I hope you enjoyed! Go

green!