Family Blog: We are the Millers

By: Jackson Miller

This blog will highlight everyone in my immediate family and what they like to do.

James Miller

First off we have my father James Miller. James was born on November 2nd, 1969 in New York City NY but spent most of his life growing up in Seattle Washington. James went to the University of Pacific in Stockton California and got a bachelor's degree in Computer science. He enjoys watching sports and playing various video games in his free time.

Professionally speaking, James leads global Game Developer Relations at Microsoft (Xbox) with team members worldwide. His team supports game developers globally who are creating content for various Xbox platforms. He has worked at Xbox since May of 2000, so he has been a part of every console launch in the company's existence. He's given presentations at many events, such as E3 (Pictured bottom right) and Gamescom. James also has credits on the launch of Xbox Live (Pictured top left) and many video games such as Halo, Destiny, Counter-Strike, and many more. I mention all of this because I grew up around video games, which have become one of my favorite hobbies. It's also inspiring to me to see him be so passionate about his career and contribute so much to gaming Technology and consoles.

Erin Miller

This is my mother Erin Miller. She was born on May 7th, 1971 in Seattle Washington. She went to the University of Washington and graduated with a degree in Education. Erin enjoys watching sports and cooking as well as spending time with my sister and me.

My mom has taught me so many valuable lessons in my life so far. She works for a company called Treehouse which has become Washington's leading organization addressing the academic and other essential support of more than 7,800 kids in foster care. She is the most caring and understanding person I know, and she's taught me to always work as hard for others as I do for myself. She is the definition of showing up and supporting. She's always been there for me and is one of my biggest role models.

Kate Miller

This is my younger sister Kate Miller. Kate was born on April 12th, 2005 in Seattle Washington. Kate goes to high school at the Bush School in Seattle and is currently a senior. She wants to study psychology and neuroscience in college. She enjoys playing soccer and leading art classes in her free time.

Even though Kate is three and a half years younger than me, she's taught me a lot. She's one of the toughest kids I know, and she's helped me become more empathetic toward others. Kate is mature and dependable and holds me accountable; honestly, she's one of my closest friends. I hope wherever she goes to college, she'll find more girls like herself.

Cooper (Dog)

We got Cooper aka "Coop Dogg" when I was in March of 2013. He's a 9-year-old Labradoodle who is motivated by food and cuddling. They usually label dogs as "Man's best friend" but Cooper becomes best friends with everyone who meets him. He has been a reason to smile daily for everyone in my family and I'm grateful to have grown up with him.

Recently Cooper has been battling cancer. He's had a few surgeries to remove some tumors from his chest, and he always returns with a smile (pictured top left). He has been on and off chemotherapy for the past year and is such a strong dog. While he doesn't fully understand how his day-to-day life affects my family, cooper is a warrior is inspires us all.