The California native has scored more than 1,000 points for Princeton University, has a 3.89 GPA and has been accepted to the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
PRINCETON - Michelle Miller arrived at Princeton University as California's second-leading scorer in girls' high school basketball history.
She has scored more than 1,000 points at Princeton, has played on two Ivy League championship teams, and was a major factor in last year's 30-0 regular season.
But she is so much more than a basketball player.
Michelle Miller That was underscored when she was recently selected Princeton's Woman of the Year by the New Jersey Association of Intercollegiate Athletes for Women.
Her dad is an ophthalmologist.
The senior will graduate with an A.B. in Chemistry, Pre-med and a certificate in Neuroscience. Earlier this week she was accepted to the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
Though not completely sure of her direction, she is very interested in ophthalmology.
Miller, from Southern California, is also an accomplished artist.
The past three years she designed the team's pink t-shirts for Breast Cancer Awareness games. She excels in drawing and painting, specifically in oils, acrylics, watercolors and pastels.
Among her best work is a black and white drawing of Times Square, viewed from the observation deck at the Empire State Building.
In the community she has mentored children in local elementary schools, spoken at assemblies and read books in classrooms. Back home she has volunteered at a group home for children in the foster care system and participated in swimming sessions with autistic children.
Her most impactful activity, however, has been volunteering at a free ophthalmology clinic that does cataract surgeries in Mexico - where the blind are again able to see.
Senior tri-captain Alex Wheatley, Miller's best friend on campus, said of her, "She's an amazing friend, a good listener, she's honest, she's loyal and really fun. 'Meesh' is an exceptional artist, a fantastic student and an amazing basketball player.''
Too good to be true?
"She is the quintessential Ivy League player,'' Princeton coach Courtney Banghart said. "She's so consistent; there is no ebb and flow with her on the court. She's a coach's dream. And she is a student that is very serious about her course work, which is the hardest curriculum at Princeton.
"Her game comes down to energy. Her course work sometimes drains her energy, and that is really the only negative I can say about the kid. She's always had unbelievable ability. I think what you can't realize until you see her is her incredible accountability," the coach said.
"She's the kid who goes to the offensive glass every possession, of every practice, of every game, her whole career, and the kid who blocks out every position. She does everything, and that's been special.''
Miller began playing organized basketball at a local YMCA at age five, progressed to AAU, but was not a year-round basketball junkie because she also played volleyball (All-State) and was on the swimming team at Poly Tech in Pasadena (League MVP); a captain on all three.
In basketball she was named a Parade All-America senior year.
Her mother played basketball in high school. Her father did not, though he was into racing with Funny Cars and Fuel Dragsters.
Miller leads the team in scoring (14 ppg), and although 5-foot-10, is second on the team in rebounding. Her signature shot is her mid-range jumper, though she has an excellent percentage in three-point shooting. A career-high 34 points came as a sophomore at Seton Hall, when she made 11 of 13 shots.
Her GPA is 3.89. Her resume' lists her senior research project thusly: Sorensen Lab - plan to use a chemoenzymatic approach to facilitate the synthesis of vancomycin, then to create and test analogs to optimize the potency of the antibiotic.
"You have to work hard,'' she said about the academic demands. "It's a challenge, obviously, but you come here for that. And you get that, and what you're able to achieve and take away from that is well worth it.
"One of my favorite quotes is. 'Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.' Coach had us write a letter to ourselves recently, like a recruiting exercise. Doing that you really realize how many amazing opportunities are here. Just the fact that you can do anything here, internships, study abroad, is what makes Princeton special.''
Her four years have certainly been special, but as she views a career, she can't help but wonder about a very different picture.
"I've thought about it,'' Miller said, smiling at the idea of being an artist full-time. "But I always come back to the conclusion that I can make the most impact and use my education I've been blessed to get, in the medical or science field. But there are days I say, 'I wish I could just be an artist.' ''
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