Ace of Trades: Shana Miller works with children and families through Help Me Grow
COSHOCTON – She grew up empathetic and caring, characteristics that have served her well.
“From a young age, I knew I wanted to help people,” recalled Shana Miller. “I enjoyed making other people happy or loved or cared about. I wanted to make people smile and help them be less stressed or less burdened.“I was curious, inquisitive and competitive,” she continued. “I loved to learn, read, and was not afraid to ask why? I often sensed the emotions of those around me and it felt like those feelings were my own. This allowed me to be very empathic and understanding. I was a very good listener and am told that I still am as an adult. I am often described as having an old soul.
“I dreamed of being in the FBI,” she added. “I’m fascinated by the brain and how it works. I wanted to be a forensic psychologist. As I got older, I decided being a counselor would be a better path.”
Today, Miller is early childhood director at the Coshocton County Board of Developmental Disabilities.
“I oversee the early intervention service coordination,” she explained, “and Help Me Grow Home Visiting Program for Coshocton County. I also oversee the Knox County Help Me Grow Home Visiting Program and act as the contract manager for Knox County Service Coordination.”
Miller grew up in Spring Mountain, about 10 minutes outside of Warsaw. She graduated from River View High School in 2009, then earned a degree from Muskingum University in 2013 with a double major in psychology and child/family studies.“I lived and breathed softball,” she said. “I played from T-ball through freshman year in college. I even earned an award of female freshman athlete of the year at Muskingum.“I originally set out to earn my master’s and become a psychologist,” she added. “I love to learn about how the brain works, why, and how it’s impacted by our environment. I wanted to listen to people and help them understand themselves.”During her last year at Muskingum, Miller was required to complete an internship and that’s when she learned about the Coshocton Board of DD.
“I couldn’t believe I lived in this county,” she said, “and had never known about the wonderful program that’s Help Me Grow. I enjoyed my time so much I wrote a grant for extra funds to serve more home visiting families. The grant included funds to support a full-time home visitor. The board presented me with an opportunity to fill this position when I graduated. I was thrilled about the idea of helping children and families, even if it wasn't in the same exact way I’d envisioned during the beginning of my college career.”
Miller started with CCBDD in 2013 and became the early childhood director in April 2022.
“Shana is the Help Me Grow definition of Ace of Trades,” assessed Tisha King, the Help Me Grow Home visiting supervisor for Knox and Coshocton counties. “I don’t know how she manages to keep all of our programmatic rules, standards and practices fresh in her mind, but she does.
“She’s the first to suggest ideas,” King continued, “or to volunteer to be on committees to make things better. She cares about the lives of people. That’s what drives her. Her ultimate goal is to help people, and that trickles down.”
“I do this work for many reasons,” Miller responded. “One of which being my own personal desire to help the children and families in the community I grew up in and continue to live in. I also do it because of my coworkers and the family-like atmosphere that’s developed amongst our team. I’m thankful to be part of the county board that strives to make a lasting, positive difference in the lives of the people we serve and the lives of its employees.”Coshocton County Board of Developmental Disabilities is located at 23720 Airport Road. For more information, log on www.coshdd.org.
Aces of Trades is a weekly series focusing on people and their jobs – whether they’re unusual jobs, fun jobs or people who take ordinary jobs and make them extraordinary. If you have a suggestion for a future profile, let us know at ctnews@coshoctontribune.com.
This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Shana Miller works with children and families through Help Me Grow
