Last week, upper school English teacher Brigid Miller visited the University of Chicago to receive her award for Outstanding Educator of the Year, for which she was nominated by Austin Lai ’15. In his nomination letter, Lai credited Miller with encouraging him to broaden his knowledge in not only literature but also psychology, “the latter being an interest she urged me to pursue,” he wrote. “Whether it be a passionate discussion about Hester Prynne’s acts of nonconformity to Emerson’s desire to be self-reliant, Ms. Miller has taught us all lessons to follow in our lives.”
During her visit, Miller received a tour of the campus, learned about UChicago’s admissions process and sat in on lectures given by some distinguished members of its history department. She also caught up and enjoyed Chicago’s signature deep-dish pizza with recent graduates now attending UChicago, including 2025 graduates Ainslie Chen, Robert Fields and Arthur Wu and Daniel Wu ’24. “That, of course, was the best part,” Miller said. “It was wonderful to see my former students and to know that they’re thriving at the school.
“I enjoyed every part of this lovely visit, including seeing friends,” she added. “I used to live in Chicago, so it was great to be back.
