Education family affair for BC graduate

Henry A. Barrios / The Californian Bakersfield College student Ann Miller, center, is surrounded by her children, Kristen, right, Alison, bottom left, and Justin, top left. Ann will be graduating from Bakersfield College. She finds herself studying for finals with some of her children who are also students. Another son, Jason, was not available for a picture.

Filed: May 24, 2001

By TIM BRAGG
Californian staff writer
e-mail: tbragg@bakersfield.com

Ann Miller pulls no punches when it comes to the story of how she became a Bakersfield College student.

"My kids made me do it," Miller said. "My daughter just signed me up for a class one day."

That one class, in business administration, led Miller to become a full-time student. Tonight, Miller will fulfill the destiny of her education when she graduates with an associate's degree in computer graphic arts.

She and an estimated 300 other BC students will graduate in the college's 87th annual commencement at 7:30 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.

About 800 students have applied for graduation, but only 300 are expected for the ceremony.

Miller never went to college and had not planned on going. But a divorce changed the course of her life, and made education a priority.

"I went to turn in my resume for jobs, and I noticed there wasn't a lot on it," she said.

Although she was an artist, she was never in a position to pursue her love of the arts at school or as a professional.

"I had six children and I was baby-sitting umpteen more," Miller said. "I would paint murals on the walls. The children would always get the look on their face like, 'Uh-oh. She's going to paint the walls again.'"

Miller's 23-year-old daughter, Alison, was attending BC when she got the idea to sign her mother up for a class in January 1998.

"She was divorced and she didn't really know what she was going to do," Alison Miller said.

When she started the class, Miller said she ended up with a grade of C on a test. It was at that time Miller decided that she didn't like having low grades.

"I guess my competitive side just kind of kicked in," Miller said.

She achieved both academically and in extracurricular ways. Miller won a seat as a senator in the college's student body group, the Associated Students Inc.

Miller volunteers as a campus ambassador, leading tours of the college for different groups, including children.

But Miller wasn't content with having just two members of the family in school.

She persuaded her daughter, Kristen, 26, and her 19-year-old twin sons, Justin and Jason, to attend too.

They said it helps having other family members at the college. They can help each other in classes they have taken before.

Justin once took the same class as him mom did, at the same time.

"She made sure I did well," Justin Miller said.