Roundabout journey led Miller to PFW and career passion

Asked how he got to this point in his academic career, Ryan Miller sighs and shrugs before leaning back in his chair.

“I’ve had a lot more roundabout journey,” Miller said. “Let’s just start from there.”

Miller, B.S. ’24, now a graduate student pursuing his master’s degree in parasitology at Purdue University Fort Wayne, admits he was a little uninspired during his Angola High School studies. He didn’t care much for homework, but was bright enough to do well on the tests with a little effort.

He attended Indiana University for a year before deciding to leave and figure it out later. He started working with a yard company, putting in lake docks and cutting weeds and such, but the number of shifts wasn’t steady enough, so he got a job washing dishes in a nursing home where his mother worked. He liked helping people and earned a certified nurse assistant license, but realized he needed a more stable and fulfilling career.

After asking a high school friend about his job as an emergency medical services technician, Miller decided to take classes, though he missed the enrollment deadline and had to beg the instructor to let him enter the six-month course. When COVID-19 hit, there was a shortage of people willing to work as EMTs in the field, so Miller started covering 12-hour shifts part time for Steuben, LaGrange, Noble, and DeKalb counties.

Along the way, Miller attended Ivy Tech for an associate degree in paramedic science and also met his wife, Maddy, another EMT. They had a son, Oliver, who is now 4. Then he applied to PFW to study civil engineering, but switched to biology because he felt a stronger pull to more directly help people.

Somehow, the Millers both worked full time, usually with additional part-time jobs in the mix, while raising a child and attending school online and in person. Their family was a huge help in watching the baby, whose parents often worked different shifts.

As Ryan Miller said, they just kept figuring it out.

“I'm continually impressed by his ability to balance a multitude of responsibilities with remarkable success,” said Marcy Ball, assistant director and preprofessional advisor for health programs in PFW’s Department of Biological Sciences. “Ryan never complains or acknowledges fatigue; instead, he approaches every challenge with unwavering initiative, integrity, and passion.”

That included finding his academic path, practically running into it by accident. Miller was walking on the third floor of the Science Building one day when Jose Thekkiniath, assistant professor of biology, pulled him aside to talk in the hallway. Miller still isn’t sure why, though he’s thankful.

“I didn’t know him and had never taken a class with him,” Miller recalled. “In fact, I wondered if he thought I was somebody else or something like that.”

Thekkiniath knew who Miller was and encouraged him to take the instructor’s immunology class. With that chance encounter, Miller found an instructor—and also a mentor.

“I would place him among the top 1% of students with whom I’ve worked over the past 15 years,” Thekkiniath said. “Ryan started working in my research laboratory in January 2024, and within a short time, he mastered immunology and molecular biology techniques. He is an excellent researcher who put forth his best efforts in successfully completing research experiments. I was awed by his diligence and work ethic.”

Along with continuing to work in Thekkiniath’s lab, Miller continues full time as an EMT for Steuben and part time for LaGrange counties, studying during slow periods. He’s also a paramedic lab technician at Ivy Tech, and the Millers have also added a daughter, Shiloh, 1. Maddy is studying for her nursing degree on top of working full time.

Ryan is preparing for commencement and taking the medical college admission test, likely on a research path. He specializes in developing the biology and pathogenesis of Babesia parasites that cause human babesiosis, a tick-borne infectious disease. He’d love to find a cure.

With a marriage, two children, two dogs, three jobs, and full-time studies, life is full. It’s not so much about reaching milestones, Ryan Miller said, but looking back at everything he’s accomplished as checkpoints, saying that in a 10-mile race, he’s approaching the 8-mile marker. He’s convinced he’s doing what he’s meant to do and is fully motivated.

“It’s easy when you have two little faces staring back at you,” Miller said. “I’ve had a lot of support, and you can do it if you really want it.

“It’s definitely a story of growth and being more comfortable with myself. I’m definitely not the same person when I leave here as I was when I started.”