JPII Running Senior Spotlight: Nathan Miller Recieves ROTC Air Force Scholarship

You come across some student-athletes in your life as a coach who are very dedicated, other-centered, consistent at practice, and who go above and beyond to help others all in a humble manner.

All of these traits describe Nathan Miller. He is one of the most consistent student-athletes I've worked with in my coaching career. Nathan is hard-working in all that he does, day in and day out.      

That worked paid off as Nathan secured an Air Force ROTC scholarship.     

The scholarship can cover up to $200,000 to $250,000 in tuition at the schools Nathan is applying to and other costs. There are only 300 projected recipients of the type of scholarship Nathan received nationwide.                      

Amazingly, this year, two JPII running and track and field members were awarded this scholarship. Catelin King was also awarded the same scholarship. 

And one other senior Luke Christensen received the prestigious $180,000 NROTC Marine Scholarship as the number one candidate from his region.   

Nathan has worked so hard these last four years. I will unpack the “why” behind his scholarship in a moment.             

Nathan’s accomplishments are a matter of record. However, I can’t stress enough that Nathan is a man of character, hard work, and faith, above all else.

He quietly lives his faith without fanfare daily by helping and serving others as a teammate, volunteer, or leader in important school-related activities.

Community Service

Nathan has volunteered in various community service activities, including the Youth Migrant Project, a local men's shelter, and with the homeless population while serving in his Church.

More specifically, Nathan has served as an overnight host for up to 14 men at the shelter from November to March each year. He has served meals, distributed clothing, and provide fellowship. No task is too big or small for Nathan. He was also responsible for setting up and cleaning up the space, monitoring each guest, and maintaining the general security of the facility. Nathan even recruited classmates to serve in this ministry.

Nathan has also made and served sandwiches for the needy on Sundays throughout the year at a local Church. He has volunteered to tend the garden, including planting, watering, and weeding. Nathan even volunteered to help harvest the produce for a parish food pantry serving the wider community. He has also volunteered on Mission trips performing various tasks.   

Nathan was selected as a student council member on the Lacey Youth Council for two consecutive years. He was also elected as the youth representative to the City of Lacey Historical Commission for 2021-22. He is working on a joint project with other area High School representatives to present the youth perspective on homelessness in Lacey to the City Council.

Nathan also recently presented homelessness concerns to city officials from the youth perspective.

Academics

Nathan has taken all honors classes at his college prep school, and his academic life has been outstanding. He has an unweighted  GPA of 3.994 GPA with a weighted GPA of 4.510. He has also done exceptionally well on his ACT and SATs.   

Nathan was awarded the highest honors on the honor roll every semester from his freshman year to the present in a college prep school. He takes challenging coursework to prepare for college and his future. He has also served as a Captain on the school knowledge bowl team.       

Nathan was selected for the Physics of Atomic Nuclei Camp at Michigan State University in the Summer of 2022. Only twenty-four students nationwide were selected to attend a program at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams. Nathan learned about nuclear physics research and measured radioactive material.

Athletics

Athletically, Nathan is part of a cross-country team that won the league championship four times during Nathan’s tenure in high school, the district championship three times, and finished second in the State Cross-Country Championships three times during Nathan’s career. There were no district or state championships held in 2021 due to COVID.                                             

Nathan is also a school track and field team member that placed third at state. When Nathan was younger, he earned a second-degree Black Belt in Taekwondo.

Nathan also received all Sea-Tac League honors in cross-country.

Nathan's analytical capabilities, strong character, and genuine desire to help and serve others are awe-inspiring to me and others.

We are proud of you, Nathan—God's speed in the next chapters of your life.

Blessings,

Coach Weber

Philippians 4:13

Picture: Nathan with his teammates on the Washington State High School Cross-Country Championships podium in 2022. Nathan is the last young man on the right side of the picture. 

Nathan joins JPII four-year cross-country and track and field letter winners Luke Christenson and Catelin King in being awarded ROTC scholarships this year. 

Luke Christensen               

Pope John Paul II High School Student Awarded 180,000 NROTC Marine Option Scholarship - ThurstonTalk             

Catelin King                 

Catelin King Awarded Prestigious ROTC Air Force Scholarship (coachweber.org)     

Also, four-year letter winners in track and cross-country,  Kobe Deutscher and Joe Oczkewicz, received full ROTC scholarships in the last two years.

Kobe's brother Caden Deutscher, a state champion at 3200 meters, also received a full-ride ROTC scholarship in 2019. Deutscher brothers pull off a rare event in the state running history (coachweber.org)