Whether she is helping first year students transition to campus life as a peer coach, teaching children in foster care access health care or attending a homecoming basketball game, Northern Kentucky University senior Hannah Miller is driven by community. The president of the university’s Presidential Ambassadors program, Miller’s experience at NKU has been marked by the close relationships she has been able to build with a diverse student body.
“Since the moment I stepped on NKU’s campus, I have felt like I, as a person, matter, and that the NKU community wants to support me and see me achieve my goals,” she says.
Miller, who grew up within an hour from campus in Centerville, Ohio, says that attending NKU has allowed her to enjoy the amenities of a large university like Division 1 sports and internship opportunities in Cincinnati while benefiting from a more intimate campus setting. Majoring in social work with a minor in social justice, she cites smaller class sizes and one-on-one support from faculty as major factors in her success as a student. Dan Ginn, an advisor for one of Miller’s student organizations, played a particularly pivotal role in making creating this welcoming environment.
“NKU is what you make of it. Dream big, put yourself out there and create your story."
“He cares deeply not just for us as a group but also about each one of us as individuals,” she says. “He’s always willing to give advice, encouragement and just be there for us.”
As a peer coach, Miller offers that same welcoming spirit to the first-year students she mentors. She recommends that incoming freshmen do things to make themselves uncomfortable: to join a club that’s new to them, take a course outside of their major or introduce themselves to someone new. Running for a position in student government was an entirely unfamiliar experience for Miller in her first semester, but one that she says has led to some of her most meaningful relationships on campus.
Attending a game at Truist Arena is also a great way to connect with the NKU community at large.
“Every student should go to a homecoming game,” Miller says. “The crowd is so excited to support our basketball team, you can feel the energy in the arena!”
Reflecting on her time at NKU, Miller says that her most memorable experience on campus was being able to cut the ribbon of the college’s First Year Student Success Hub, signifying an even stronger support system for incoming students. It also allowed her to check an essential item off her bucket list: handling a giant pair of scissors.
“NKU is what you make of it. Dream big, put yourself out there and create your story,” she says. “If you want to have a new experience and learn more about yourself, go for it—this is the perfect time and place!”
