Failing at something is one of the hardest things to deal with, especially when you have worked so hard to get to that point in life. And when it happens everyone tells you, “You have to fail before you succeed,” or “Try harder next time and hope for the best.” This was the case for Max Miller, former athlete and now a graduate student here at Piedmont University. 

Born a twin on Jan. 1, 1999, Miller seemed to be a lucky kid from the start of his life, but in his own words “life happens.” Miller ran cross country and track & field at River Ridge high school in Woodstock, Georgia. “At the beginning of high school, I wanted to run,” Miller said. “Then towards the end of my high school career, it was no longer a goal until I hit track season and started performing at a level, I thought was possible.”  

This “level” allowed Miller to be recruited by Piedmont University, to compete at the colligate level in cross country and track & field. “I never heard of Piedmont when I was in high school until they started recruiting my twin sister for hurdles,” Miller said. “After looking at some of their times, I signed up for a recruiting visit and got the same treatment as her. Then I came, and she did not. So, I stayed to run and study in the athletic training program.”  

Piedmont’s athletic training program is one of the best in Georgia ranking fourth behind University of Georgia, Georgia Southern University and Georgia College & State University. It requires some of the hardest courses on campus, and many students change majors. In the case of Miller, adversity struck his senior year, but he was prepared to face it head-on with the next step in his life. “I failed out of the A.T program, so things change, and life happens,” Miller said. “I had some environmental factors come in last year, I was athletic training all the way up until last spring and then I was forced to change master’s programs into health and human performance.” 

Now enrolled in the graduate program, Miller is excited about the potential opportunities in the field. “With that master’s program, you pretty much do one thing and that is become an athletic trainer,” Miller said. “Now with health and human performance, I can do a lot of things, which includes being a coach for many different sports. I am currently doing my internship with the Piedmont University track team, and I have loved every second of it.”