WSU News Service

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“I still consider myself a farm boy who has a good work ethic,” Miller said.

Growing up on his Indiana family’s dairy farm, Marcus Miller was taught from early on about the benefits of hard work. Watching his father, Brent Miller, who worked as a carpenter, Miller also became interested from an early age in building things.

Miller will graduate with his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. He has maintained a 4.0 GPA while also being a leading member of Washington State University’s student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

Miller attributes his success to the hard work he learned as a youngster. He was homeschooled through the sixth grade. In high school, he enjoyed math and drafting, and a teacher directed him toward engineering.

He started college in Indiana, but later followed his brother, who had moved to Eltopia, Wash. Later, his entire family also made the move to Kennewick.

As a student at WSU, Miller was heavily involved in ASCE. He co-chaired the 2010 ASCE Northwest Student Conference, which was held in Pullman and he served as the president of the organization. He was also co-captain of the student group’s winning steel bridge team, which won its regional competition in 2009 and took sixth nationally.

At the same time, he received numerous awards and scholarships, including being named the outstanding junior and senior for the department of civil and environmental engineering.

During his time at WSU, Miller says that he learned how to think technically and critically. A lot of engineering design, he says, is simply about solving large and complicated problems. At WSU, Miller learned to diagnose issues and solve problems one step at a time. He particularly appreciated the support he received from professors, including Jennifer Adam, Dave McLean, Shane Brown, and David Pollock, in helping him to grow and to become open to new challenges.

“I learned how to work with people to get what you need to accomplish a goal,” Miller said. “My continual involvement in extracurricular activities will most certainly carry over to my professional career, and the habits that I have formed will start me out with a great foundation, regardless of the field and activities in which I choose to immerse myself.”

Miller hopes to become a professional engineer in a consulting firm, a project manager, or a design engineer. He worked as an intern for J-U-B Engineers for the past two summers and hopes to get a permanent position with the firm after graduation.