Dr. Michelle Miller of Northern Arizona University

Dr. Michelle Miller, who is a psychology professor at Northern Arizona University, realized her passion for the classroom when she was an undergraduate. “As I was working through my college career at Pomona College, I realized that, unlike many of my peers looking to get out into the real world, I couldn’t imagine leaving academic life.”

Originally from Northern California, Miller graduated from Pomona College and went on to graduate school at University of California, Los Angeles. She participated in a research-intensive program and originally planned to make research a larger part of her career than she did teaching. However, following an educational opportunity at Rice University, she found her interest in research converging with her interest in teaching.

In the fall 1999, Miller was offered an associate professor position at NAU, a university devoted to “excellence in teaching as well as excellence in research,” she says. The teaching position was “a tenure track job…perfect for what I was seeking as a postdoctoral researcher in cognitive psychology,” Miller says.

Miller also utilizes her talents as part of NAU’s course-redesign team, where she works to help make classes more dynamic and engaging for first-year students. It is intended to provide increased support and rigor for struggling students.

When Miller isn’t in the classroom, she likes spending time with her three daughters and enjoys yoga and cross-country skiing. “I am also an avid knitter and belong to a knitting group called Flagstaff Knitters in the Dark. We meet at a local wine bar not known for good lighting,” Miller says. —S.Z.