Like a lot of graduates, Casey Miller has fond memories of the day in 2011 when she collected her diploma for her Master of Business Administration. She is fortunate enough to remember it two different ways: as herself and through the eyes of her children who were there to watch her cross the stage. 

“When I got to meet them after the ceremony, my kids were like, ‘We saw you win,’” recalls Miller, now a director of operations for the food services and facilities management company Sodexo.

It was a happy moment and one that had profound consequences for Miller. She had accomplished something new and big for herself and for her kids — and would change all their lives for the better. 

Miller is the first to acknowledge that she did not always seem like the college-bound scholar she came to be. “In high school, I was a very defiant young woman,” she says. “I did not like school at all. But I was raised in a family where college was the expectation, not the exception.” 

Miller graduated high school and took a year off, hoping to figure out a path that worked for her. Then, during the year she spent in community college, she felt a shift within herself: “I had this whole realization, that all of this is up to me — my education is completely up to me.” 

It wasn’t an easy transition for Miller, who felt like she was behind students who had excelled in high school. “All of a sudden, things like studying and preparing for tests became very challenging,” she says. “I had to learn how to learn.” 

As it turns out, Miller not only excelled at learning but fell in love with it as well. “I found a lot of freedom in that, and it was very exciting for me,” she says. “[I] became obsessed with learning.”

Miller transferred to a traditional college, but then life took a different turn. She met her husband and became pregnant — a complicated pregnancy that led Miller to take a semester off. That semester turned into several years. “Life got in the way,” she says, reflecting on her time away from school.

When she was ready to return, many of her credits had expired, meaning she would have to take several extra courses just to graduate. All the extra work and cost seemed like too much — but Miller wasn’t giving up.

“The biggest thing I’ve learned is that there’s always a reason not to go to school,” she says, “and you can always find a reason why it doesn’t work in your world. But what I learned on the flip side of that is time moves on regardless.” 

It was Miller’s brother, Benjamin, who told her about University of Phoenix, where he was studying for his master’s. By the time she earned her bachelor’s degree,  Miller — who’d found work at UOPX as an academic counselor — felt like one degree wasn’t enough.

“I decided that I couldn’t stop. I needed to just keep going, knowing that if I took a break again, life [would] get in the way,” she says. 

Life continued to throw hurdles at Miller, whose family life had to stay in balance with her educational goals. She recalls working late one night to turn in an assignment by midnight — even as her infant son stayed awake with an ear infection. Miller stayed up typing with one hand while bouncing her sick baby in the other arm, tears streaming down her face. 

Fortunately, Miller found not only her passion for learning at University of Phoenix, but also a caring and understanding community. She knew how easily her advisors could have simply “checked the box” and sent her on her way, but those working with her at University of Phoenix went above and beyond to provide resources with sincerity and personalized touches.

Her instructors, too, provided both knowledge and personal connections. She continues to keep in touch with many of her instructors years later in a network that also includes classmates. She recalls “feeling like someone truly had my back” at UOPX, something she hadn’t experienced at her other schools. 

Just as Miller grew during her time with University of Phoenix, so did her own career path after she graduated. She had experience in hospitality and catering before she transitioned into event management for an audiovisual company. When her work there plateaued, she moved on to managing food service and entertainment centers, building on her professional experience as well as the focus her education provided her. All the while, she took advantage of her natural love for problem-solving in a fast-moving environment. 

When a role at Sodexo opened up, it wasn’t necessarily her comfort zone: “I didn’t really understand that world. But it sounded exciting to me, and I realized that there was this huge opportunity here for me to fully immerse myself in the event world.” 

She thrived. Within three years, Miller advanced to director of sales and then director of operations. This progression, which speaks to Miller’s talent (and the timing of opportunities), earned her not just promotions, but the respect and admiration of her colleagues. 

“I am often amazed by Casey’s ability to understand complex issues, formulate a plan for attack and then to lead out in conquering the challenges,” says Matt Hansen, Miller’s manager. “She has a strong track record of accomplishment — real accomplishment, that comes from seeing how seemingly divergent departments can be marshaled to do nearly impossible things.”

That ability makes sense given Miller’s background, when she juggled family life with her education. Customers see Miller’s qualities as well, her manager says. “She has a terrific rapport with clients,” Hansen adds. “They universally trust her. She has a trustworthy demeanor that comes not just from her honesty but from her obvious knowledge of the business. The client can lean into her preparation and knowledge with confidence.”  

Miller’s winding path taught her that education can be achieved in more than one way. It can be personalized to every student. “You can learn in many different formats and many different ways, not always in a traditional classroom setting.” 

This lesson resonates with Miller as she looks to her children. “Even from their young perspective, we’ve had very open dialogue about what education is, what that means and what it could be in their world — and how it can work for you and it doesn’t have to be in a traditional way. There are educational opportunities out there for everybody, no matter where you’re at in your life.” 

As Miller’s kids go further out into the world, she’s confident that she has empowered them to take control as she did. The hard-won wisdom and victories she made in her own nontraditional path laid the foundation for her kids to do the same. And when they make their own successes, she’ll be there to tell them she saw them win too. 

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