Taking risks can pay off
Geoffrey Miller, 50, is not just a full-time USU employee, he’s also a student.
“Don’t be afraid to do what you want to do. Don’t be afraid to go to school,” Miller said.
One month after accepting a job as a plumber under the Facilities Department at USU in 2004, he took a class to become a Certified Back-flow Technician and discovered, once again, how much he liked to study and learn. At that point, he decided to re-enter the student scene and finish his bachelor’s degree in horticulture – a dream he’s had for a long time.
Miller has been a reentry student before. At 17, he joined the U.S. Navy and served in the armed forces for four years before entering Sonoma State University, north of San Francisco, for the first time at age 22 and then moved to Vancouver, Wash. to attend Clark College. There, Miller said he received his associate’s degree in horticulture in 1985. He married that same year and decided to pursue “the all-American dream” and put off his bachelor’s degree to provide for his family, installing and maintaining sprinkling systems.
Miller said he pursued further education when he moved with his family to Los Angeles. He worked full-time while attending plumber’s journeyman school for five years, two nights a week. He said he earned his journeyman’s license in 1991 and out of the three special awards given, Miller received two and graduated second in his class.
“I consider my journeyman’s school as much a formal education as my education here at USU. It helped me get the job I have now, which is exactly where I want to be. I love working here. I love the security and comradely,” he said.
At USU, Miller said he is in charge of all water quality on campus: swimming pools, drinking water, waste water and the Tanner Fountain.
“When the (Tanner) fountain outside gets soaped, I’m the one who has to take care of it,” Miller said.
After a 13-year hiatus from education, Miller has faced a few challenges.
“I took a biology class 20 years ago,” he said. “A lot of changes have occurred since then and nothing I learned is the same.”
Miller said computers were another hurdle.
“When I entered my Business 1300 classroom, I did not even know how to turn a computer on. I raised my hand and asked the teacher how to turn the computer on and the room went silent. Everyone just looked at me. And that was a beginning computer class. Luckily, the teacher took me under her wing and helped me through and I passed,” he said.
Miller said anyone wanting to return to college without much computer background should take the CIL course before taking any other courses. Other students can also help, he said.
“Make friends with the smartest students in the class,” he said.
On several occasions, Miller has been one of the only, if not the only, reentry student in his class but he said that it hasn’t been a problem. In fact, he said he’s studied on several occasions with younger partners and they have helped him through. He said he was surprised when at the end of his biology class his two young study partners thanked him for helping them, as well.
On the other campuses he’s attended, Miller said he felt like a number, but at USU, his supervisor, adviser in the agricultural science department, teachers and study partners have been nothing but caring and helpful.
“They have been totally supportive of my situation and goals,” he said.
When asked what advice he’d give the students on campus, Miller said it is important for students to remember not all learning comes from a classroom.
“Not all education is done through a formal college situation. You can learn from anything,” he said. “If I had to do it over again, right out of high school, I think I’d buy a one-way ticket to Florida and learn how to sail for a few years.”
Miller said one of his parents didn’t care what he did and the other was pushing him to go to college. That’s when he decided to join the Navy.
“Sometimes it’s worth taking a risk and following what you really want to do. Sometimes you decide to not take the risk and you regret it and wonder about that choice the rest of your life,” he said.
Miller has one son of his own and three step-children from his second marriage. He also has three grandchildren, all of whom he said he are immensely proud. When asked what advice he’d give his 18-year-old son, Miller said, “Do your best at whatever you choose to do and be proud of what you do.”
–jeni.whiteley@aggiemail.usu.edu