Cole Miller

Age: 22

Club Staff: 4 years

Amazing people from all walks of life begin their journeys for future greatness and success within the safe and nurturing space that is the Boys & Girls Clubs of North Georgia. From the children who come to learn and grow in a culture of hope and opportunity to the caring adults who empower them with life-enhancing programs and development experiences, everyone who enters our hometown Clubs leaves empowered to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens, like Cole Miller.

Cole was 18 and in his first year of college when he started working at Boys & Girls Clubs of North Georgia. Like many young freshman, he was conflicted about his major—Art Education—and was unsure if it was the right career path. That is until he spent his first summer working at the Club. He quickly realized his passion was in art and education, after working with the kids in programs that encouraged their artistic expression. Cole continued to work at the Club every summer for the next four years and has gained not only real-life work experience in his career field, but “one of the most rewarding experiences of my life,” he says. This summer, Cole worked alongside the Pickens Arts and Cultural Alliance to do exciting new art projects with the kids and host the first ever BGCNG children’s art gallery.

What’s next for Cole? This fall, he’s off to his first professional teaching position at Rome High School, and he credits BGCNG for providing him the valuable experience that helped him secure the job. As he embarks on this exciting new journey, he reminds us all, “Appreciate where you are today. Every day you have one more day of experience and wake up the best version of yourself that has ever existed and that, I think, should be celebrated.”

So do we, Cole!

Featured Alumni Cole

Meet Andy:

Andy worked at the club for almost 5 years. Andy took guitar lessons through the BGCNG in middle school and ended up working for the Boys & Girls Club in 2015. Andy would never imagine the impact the BGCNG would have on his life, and in his future. Andy tells us “I met so many who I now consider close friends, I learned how important positive role models are for kids, and discovered I have a passion for teaching and guiding kids.”, that’s not all Andy has received from being a part of the BGCNG. Andy has also met his future wife through working at the BGCNG.

Andy says “ Meeting Sierra was also an amazing thing the club brought into my life, we've often talked about how we would've probably never met if not for both working there.

Meet Sierra:

Sierra worked at the club for almost 5 years. Sierra believes that the BGCNG played a major role in her successful upcoming career and future plans. Sierra tells us “The most important thing that Boys & Girls Club taught me is that the most important thing you can do is follow your passion. Hard work isn't quite so hard when you really love what you're doing and feel like you're making a difference in your community and in the world. I am so grateful and excited for the opportunities I have been given to pursue a career and a cause that really matters to me, and all of that really started the second I walked into the Boys & Girls Club in 2015. “.

Sierra also tells us that an extra bonus to the job was meeting her future husband, Andy. Sierra says ” Andy and I met working together at the BGC. We didn't start dating until a while after he had stopped working there, but it is where we really got to know each other and became friends. That was a pretty great and unexpected bonus of the job.”

What does the future have in store for them?

Sierra is currently a first-year law student at the University of Georgia School of Law. She plans to graduate with her JD in 2024 and pursue a career in juvenile defense or youth advocacy. Her and Andy and are also planning to get married sometime in 2024 after she graduates! Andy is a student at Kennesaw State majoring in History Education and plans to teach high school history in the next couple years.

BGC Picture