Champion runner Samara Miller channels her abilities in service to others

For Samara Miller (la’19), Purdue was never part of her plan. As the 2016 400-meter national champion senior year of high school, she had plenty of options.   

“I was recruited heavily by Big Ten schools and even some schools in the SEC,” Miller recalls. “At my home recruitment visit from Lonnie Greene, the Purdue head coach, I liked what he had to say. During my official visit, I committed to Purdue on-site.”

As a Boilermaker, Miller has added to the list of accomplishments: three-time Big Ten Champion and Big Ten athlete of the week are two notable standouts among them. 

But her passion for sport extends beyond the competition. Miller is the president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), where she works with athletes from other intercollegiate teams to foster dialogue about diversity and inclusion and create a network of mutual support. 

In 2019, Miller made history as the first athlete in school history to graduate through the College of Liberal Arts Degree in 3 program, with a long list of academic accomplishments in tow. 

Today, Miller is studying human resource management at the Krannert School of Management as a graduate student while still competing for the Purdue track team.

Miller hopes to turn her passion for athletics into a career after she graduates, perhaps as a sports attorney or helping former student-athletes bridge the gap between sports and the working world. Whatever the future holds, she knows how to tackle each obstacle with grace and confidence.

“I might have a bad day or a bad season. I might be struggling in a class, but what’s important to me is that I recognize that I am God’s child, and there’s no other identity that tops that.”