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DUNWOODY, Ga. — Perseverance guided Jennifer Miller to her “dream job,” but it was a winding journey that required shifts, exploration and a do-over.
Miller, now an assistant professor at Georgia State University’s Perimeter College, recently was awarded the institution’s 2025 Teaching Excellence Award.
Originally from West Point, New York, she joined the Perimeter faculty in 2014. She teaches Financial Accounting and Managerial Accounting on the Dunwoody Campus and is Perimeter’s Accounting curriculum chair.
Miller, however, stumbled on her first try at accounting. As a freshman at Auburn University, she signed up for an accounting class but received a D at the end of the term. She decided to switch majors from Business to Psychology but realized Psychology wasn’t a good fit. She returned to Business and enrolled in an accounting course again. She gave it her all and aced the class.
“I really liked how there was always one answer,” she said, “and everything made sense.”
Miller worked in corporate accounting for several years and took time off when her daughters were young. Then an opportunity to teach a night course at a community college, Coastal Carolina Community College in North Carolina, came her way.
“My first class had only five students, but I knew the first day I walked into the classroom that I was where I should be,” she said. “Teaching is my dream job.”
Miller’s talent for teaching is reflected in comments from her students. One said it is a “privilege” to be Miller’s student. Another student, Hafsa Mohammed, cited Miller’s ability to make accounting “digestible and easy to understand,” and went on to explain that they didn’t really need an additional accounting class to meet the requirements of their major, but they enjoyed Miller’s class so much they signed up for Accounting 2. Another wrote to Miller, “You made accounting such a fun and interesting subject that I have decided to major in it, and I am so, so grateful!”
“Professor Miller,” said accounting student Angelique Van Der Walt, “you have not only taught me the principles of accounting but have also instilled in me a deeper appreciation for the value of empathy and compassion in education. Your genuine care for your students is a rare and precious quality that I will always cherish and strive to emulate in my own endeavors.”
To expose her students to academic and professional opportunities, Miller frequently coordinates visits from guest speakers and facilitates partnerships with Career Services and the Robinson College of Business. These initiatives enhance student learning and promote professional readiness.
To help her students succeed, Miller has set high expectations for herself as an educator, “Availability, accessibility, and communication are critical for enabling student success,” she said.
Miller went on to say, “Teaching is my passion, and I feel so fortunate to love my job. My students inspire me daily. I think that maybe because I failed accounting at first in college, I love it even more because I overcame this obstacle. One of my biggest college failures turned into a lifelong career that I am passionate about and grateful for every day.”
Story by Christy Petterson
Photo by Bill Roa