Page 78 - South Mississippi Living - April, 2019
P. 78

Having a strong work ethic as an adult should not be a problem for Carson Miller. The Gulfport High School senior has three part-time jobs, sometimes working two of them simultaneously. She’s worked as a
lifeguard at Gulfport Yacht Club and at Pop Brothers and Heritage House. “It’s been good experience. They’re all fun jobs,” she says, “but I have to keep a strict schedule.”
CARSON
MILLER
story by Lynn Lofton photo courtesy of Carson Miller
The daughter of Jamie and Kelli Miller, Carson has an older sister, Maddison, and a younger brother, Landon. She says with a smile that her dad is her mentor because she’s his favorite child.
Carson, 18, has accumulated many honors and awards, including National Honor Society, editor in chief of the school yearbook, Gulfport Youth Legislature, class favorite, Miss Gulfport High and the school’s Hall of Fame. “I’ve been in Youth Legislature four years and really enjoyed it,” she said. That experience influenced her to serve as a clerk for former State Sen. Sean Tindall.
Among her numerous community activities, Carson chooses the Cotillion Club of
Gulfport as a standout.
The Cotillion’s
activities have included volunteering at Lynn
Meadows Discovery Center, collecting pet food for the Humane Society and taking cookies to a local nursing home.
A special accomplishment for Carson at Gulfport High was suggesting and leading the school’s Violence Prevention Week. “We’re so aware of the school shootings around the country and wanted to do something as a memorial to the victims,” she said. “We used
it to raise school spirit during prom week with a picnic in
the courtyard, and we had the walkway lined with flowers to represent each student who was
killed.”
A project of the student council,
this observance takes place again this month. Carson feels this sort of activity has helped the school feel bonded. “That’s unusual for a large public school with about 400 students in each grade,” she said.
Looking to the future, Carson plans to attend Mississippi State University with a
major in political science or communications with a focus on public relations. “Depending on how that goes, I may go to law school,” she said. “I hope to work as a communications director or policy advisor.”
78 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • April 2019
FOR MORE REFLECTIONS OF THE GULF COAST >> www.smliving.net
TERRIFIC
TEENS
PRESENTED BY


































































































   76   77   78   79   80