Rachel Miller

Rachel is a National Board-Certified high school English teacher in West Virginia who is passionate about supporting underrepresented students in their educational journey. She serves as the advisor for a health and sciences program at her school that mentors students who are economically-disadvantaged, rural, African-American, or the first in their families to attend college to prepare them for STEM-based majors in college. Rachel reminds her students that she would have been in the same program when she was in school because she also came from an underrepresented background. Rachel was a Phillips Scholar for four years at Bethany College, where she majored in public relations. She writes that the scholarship allowed her to attend her dream school, and “the fact that the Phillips scholarship assisted the family was truly a difference-maker. I’m sure I would not have been able to attend Bethany without it.” Moreover, leaving college with minimal student debt allowed her to eventually follow her heart and become a teacher. She writes, “The Phillip Scholarship helped me have the financial freedom to pursue what I believe to be my calling rather than feeling the pressure to keep a job strictly for financial reasons.” In addition to teaching and mentoring within her school, Rachel mentors other teachers going through the National Board Certification process, as studies have shown that the certification has a positive impact on student learning.