Angelina College business student honored by Wall Street Journal

When Rebecca Miller decided a couple of years ago to attend college for the first time, she did so despite having graduated high school more than 20 years before. She admits to a touch of anxiety in beginning of Life, Part II.

"When I came to college I was very nervous, being so much older and having had such poor study habits in high school," Miller says. "But I surprised myself with how well I was doing. I set a goal, and I've maintained a 4.0 GPA since I started. It's not easy; I've worked extremely hard to do that."

She needn't have worried. Miller's maturity and drive have brought her recognition from not only her instructors and peers, but from some very prestigious publications as well.

Recently, the Wall Street Journal recognized Rebecca Miller with the 2007 WSJ Student Achievement Award, given for "outstanding academic performance."

"I found out about the award two weeks ago," Miller says. "I was totally surprised, I didn't even know I'd been nominated. There are so many deserving students here. I didn't expect anything like this. It's an honor, and I'm very touched."

The Management Development major is president of the Rho Alpha Chapter of the Alpha Beta Gamma Business Honor Society on the AC campus; she is also a member of Phi Beta Kappa. All this occurring at an age when her peers are looking more toward the end of a career, rather than the beginning.

"I'd been a stay-at-home mom for so long that when I decided to go back into the work force, I knew I needed a lot more education and training," Miller says. "I knew I eventually wanted to own my own business, and (AC Business Division head) Jim Kennedy really helped guide me in the right direction."

Miller says the support from her husband Doug has also been instrumental in her academic success.

"My husband is so great," Miller says. "I couldn't do this without him. He's so supportive of what I'm trying to do. He works a lot of hours, but he does everything - cooking, cleaning, everything - just so I can have time to study.

"He said when I started, 'This is about you. This is temporary. The house will still be here when you graduate, and I know how to cook.' He's very proud of what I'm doing. I call him to tell him my test grades, and he gets so excited about it. He's amazing."

Kennedy says that Miller is one of those rare students who has made herself "memorable."

"Like most faculty, I've experienced those students who stick out, those who you know you'll always remember for various reasons," Kennedy says. "It's not always GPA or personality. With Becky, it's her combination of drive, her ambition, her absolute focus on achieving her goals.

"As an instructor, you want to see these types of success stories, and Becky has made us very, very proud."

The e-mail address for AC's Marketing and Development coordinator is gstallard@angelina.edu