Althea René Miller moved to Wisconsin from Southern Los Angeles on a whim as an 18-year-old. The University of Wisconsin—Madison is what brought her here, but it is her dedication to the broader Wisconsin community that is keeping her here.
Living in Wisconsin was an adjustment for Miller. It wasn’t just the dramatic shift in climate or Midwestern culture she encountered when she arrived on campus, but in how other people looked at her as a woman of color, both on campus and off. Her response was straightforward and simple: make herself a visible and active part of the Wisconsin community; become a positive point of reference for others to look at. Over the past six years, in addition to completing her undergraduate degree and beginning work on a Master’s in Multicultural Education: Curriculum & Instruction through the UW-Madison School of Education, Miller has focused her volunteer and mentoring activities on initiatives that address women’s empowerment, social justice, and equity in education.
Miller has made an intentional choice to remain in Wisconsin. And she hopes to continue living here for the next couple of years. She is dedicated to her work, but says she is just as dedicated to doing this work in Wisconsin, empowering other women of color and empowering the broader Wisconsin community to be better. Because, as the message of her poem projects: “We be that Resilient”
