An ordinary guy’s extraordinary college journey
This story is part of a series of graduate profiles ahead of Commencement ceremonies. David P. Miller grew up in Hazelwood, Missouri, close to the St. Louis airport, where he lived with his sister and parents. Dad fixed photocopiers; Mom worked as a secretary. A bunch of cousins lived close by. “I’d say probably the most unique thing about growing up [there] was how not unique it was relative to most people at Harvard,” said Miller. But the graduating senior’s path to Harvard was anything but ordinary. After high school, Miller joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 2013, taking a gap year before basic training to lose 50 pounds in order to meet the military’s rigorous physical fitness requirements. His grandfather and an older cousin, whom Miller looked up to like an older brother, influenced his decision to enlist. A flying enthusiast, he trained in aviation, learning to be a flight mechanic and becoming certified as a...