Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Miller Honored

Makisha Miller, a senior at Everett High School in Lansing, Mich., recently won the State Youth of the Year Award of Michigan from the Boys and Girls Club.

She was among 15 candidates from all over the state who participated in the April 25 competition in Saginaw, Mich., in which the students gave three-minute speeches and were then interviewed by a panel of five judges.

She has been involved in many volunteer activities during her high school career. They include working with Special Olympics, Adopt-A-River, Lead Busters, and volunteering as a hostess for the Black Caucus.

She is also a member of the Everett Exceller. The Excellers is a group of high school students who dedicate their time to helping others.

Her most significant contribution to her community was being president and founder of the Concerned Student Coalition, which is a group of high school students who volunteer on their own time tutoring and counseling troubled teens. They work with teen mothers, alcoholics, drug users, dropouts, runaways, and abused children.

In addition to Miller's volunteerism, she is a teen mom with a 2+-year-old son, KeyShod.

On May 13, Miller appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show, one of 50 other state winners recognized as a Youth of the Year by the Boys and Girls Club.

Being a star on nationwide TV was thrilling, she said. So was the $25,000 scholarship she will receive.

Miller also leads teen summits at the Lansing boys and Girls Club.

She plans to major in marketing and retail sales at Michigan State University this coming fall.

She is the daughter of Bobbie Anderson of Lansing, and the granddaughter of Ernestine Anderson of Gurdon.