Salutatorian Barbara Miller Trades in Ballet Slippers for a Hard Hat

Five years ago, if you looked in Barbara Miller’s closet, you would have seen three pairs of ballet slippers and a tutu. Today, you would find that they have been replaced by three hard hats and a business suit.

Miller Photo

The reason? On June 5, the former ballerina is graduating with a bachelor of technology degree in facilities management from New York City College of Technology (City Tech). Her career switch, moreover, seems to have proceeded without a hitch. She is graduating second in her class, with a GPA of 3.99 (out of a possible 4.0), and has been named salutatorian (second to the valedictorian) of the class of 2007.

“This is like a dream come true,” says the 21-year-old honoree. “In addition to giving me the chance to represent the construction management technology and facilities management departments, this honor means that I have excelled as a woman in a field dominated by males. And I admit that I am very proud of that,” she asserts.

While dance was her primary interest throughout 10 years of studying at Ballet Hispanico and at LaGuardia High School, Miller, a Latina of Panamanian and Dominican descent who speaks Spanish fluently, also always maintained a fascination with building design. “I used to spend hours drawing floorplans of dream houses,” she confides. “I was fascinated by the challenge of dividing the rooms of my doll house to get maximum use of a limited area.” So when it came time for deciding on a college curriculum, facilities management seemed like a natural.

“When I enrolled at City Tech,” she says, “I knew that I had to devote myself fully to my new field. When I do anything, I want to do it 100 percent. So I put away my dancing shoes and went full speed ahead on my new track.” After earning her AAS degree in construction management technology from City Tech in 2005, Miller immediately enrolled in the bachelor’s program at the College.

“As for my choice of facilities management, I knew it was a field that was traditionally man-powered. It’s a big deal for me to succeed in this arena, but I was determined to overcome whatever obstacles lay in my path," she says. "And I proved, through four years of hard work and persistence, that it can be done. Fortunately, the field is now becoming more open to women and minorities, so I expect to be seeing more people like me involved in the construction industry.”

Miller, who resides in the Inwood section of Manhattan, recalls that when she first came to City Tech, she was shy and didn't speak up much in class. What a difference four years can make, as Miller has learned to be a lot more extroverted. "I love challenges," she notes, "and enjoy stretching my personality along with my academic skills."

Achievement and recognition have marked Miller’s college career from the beginning. In 2003, she was chosen as City Tech’s first recipient of a four-year scholarship from the Secaucus-based Schiavone Construction Company. Other awards included the William Morehouse Scholarship, which is awarded to students who have done outstanding work in residential construction; the American Society of Civil Engineers Scholarship; the Concrete Industry Board Foundation Scholarship and a Construction Management Award from City Tech. In the 2003/2004 period, she served as treasurer of the American Society of Civil Engineers Student Club.

According to Miller, the support she received from the College was a key factor in enabling her to succeed. Her department helped her, for example, to get a job for two summers as a field engineer intern for the Turner Construction Company in New York City. In the summer of 2005, she worked in facilities management at the Brooklyn Army Terminal; in 2006, she worked on the construction of a dorrmitory for City College.

“The placement office sends out students’ resumes starting in their sophomore year,” she says. “And my department takes an active interest in each student. My mentor’s door, for example, was always open for whatever questions or problems I had. City Tech gives us the tools that enable us to go out and feel good about ourselves, to be confident that we have the knowledge to succeed in our chosen field.”

At the moment, Miller is considering two post-graduation job offers in the construction industry. “I feel very lucky,” she says. “I’m going out into the 'real' world with the confidence that I can succeed. My long-term goal,” she added, “is to be construction manager on a job from the very beginning -- the design stage -- through all the stages of construction, including the electrical, plumbing and other aspects, through to the finished product. I’d love to be able to say, ‘Yes, I played an important role in the construction of every feature of this building!’”

If past achievements are any indication, it seems more than likely that Barbara Miller’s dream will be realized in the not-too-distant future.

5/16/07