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One of the greatest lessons former Eastern Illinois women's basketball player Sarah Probst Miller learned during her playing career was to be present and work on what she could have an impact on.
 
That motto carried the former Panther player from the small town of Sigel, Illinois to an award winning animal veterinarian and most recently the President of her own company.
 
"Being a student-athlete at Eastern Illinois taught me to be present in whatever I was doing at the time.  I wasn't always successful as a student-athlete and I'm not always successful now, but that is my goal.  I learned I couldn't study for Biochemistry while shooting hoops, or think about a game while taking a test.  But, I learned I could practice getting the ball in the basket right then so I was going to be present and work on what I could have an immediate impact on.  That goal and that lesson is something I strive for every day… to be present"
 
That ability to be present allowed her to be both a successful student and athlete at EIU, eventually translating to success in two different post graduate careers.   Following her time as a student-athlete Probst Miller went on to work for ten years as a 100% swine veterinarian before starting her own company AgCreate Solutions based in Monticello, Illinois.
 
"Our company, AgCreate Solutions, specializes in creating educational and marketing materials for the agricultural and veterinary industries.   I love that my work allows use of my excellent EIU liberal arts education in combination with my degree in veterinary medicine.  I am asked to travel globally as a keynote speaker in fun places such as Tokyo, Bangkok, Dublin and Melbourne.  It really has been a fun and interesting trip, you never know where life will take you!"
 
The trips around the world are quite the story for a person who by her own account admits to having really grown up at EIU.
 
"I have fond memories of all my coaches and deep respect for them all.  I appreciate the time they gave us more now… now from the perspective of being a mom and a business owner and someone working to achieve balance.  Being a coach means you give a lot of yourself and guide young folks to make good decisions.  I have great respect for Coach Hilke who recruited me, Coach Kline who guided me, Coach Peterson who encouraged me, and all the assistants who helped along the way.  God bless them for their patience with a young country girl who had a lot to learn about life.  What great mentors I had as I 'grew up' at EIU."
 
Hailing from a small town and playing at nearby Teutopolis High School, Probst Miller made an immediate impact as a post player her freshman season.   She became just the fourth player in school history to start every game as a freshman including scoring 15 points against Missouri.  During her senior season EIU made the transition to the Ohio Valley Conference as the Panthers finished fifth in the league.  EIU would fall in the OVC Tournament to Morehead State with Probst Miller just missing a double-double in her final collegiate game with 18 points, nine rebounds.
 
While playing basketball may have seemed easy, the decision of what to study was a little more difficult to make.  The easy choice for someone that grew up on a pig farm would be to stay in some sort of agricultural major, but the decision was a little more complicated.
 
"At EIU, I couldn't decide what to major in.  I started in English and Theatre but still took courses in Chemistry and Zoology.  EIU provided me with an opportunity to explore what I loved yet still advance towards a degree.  It was perfect for me to take Shakespeare and Creative Writing alongside Organic Chemistry and Molecular Biology.  That is what I do now: creatively describe science to the masses."
 
Probst Miller earned her degree from EIU in 1997 in Zoology with a double minor in Chemistry and English.   She went on to veterinary school earning her degree in 2001, leading to more than ten years in the field.  In 2009, she completed the Executive Veterinary Program.  As part of her success she earned the Top Ten Swine Veterinarian Under 40 Award and the Erwin Small First Decade Award in recognition of contributions to and participation in organized veterinary medicine through the Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association.
 
For all the success that she has had in her career, Probst Miller credits the foundation laid by Eastern Illinois, not only for herself but for several generations of her family.
 
"EIU has meant a lot to multiple generations of our family in education and athletics.  I was so proud when the media department at EIU dug up photos and articles about by grandfather LK Voris and his time as a football and basketball player for the Panthers.  He and my grandmother attended EIU and my grandmother would share memories about Pem Hall, the beginning of the Newman Center and her involvement with theatre and music.  My grandfather died when I was six and some of those EIU articles just meant the world to me to see.  I was the third generation of my family to attend EIU and this just brought that significance to life.  The education I received at EIU prepared me to succeed in both veterinary school and afterwards as a professional business woman.  Thank you EIU!"
 
The long standing history with EIU, and a solid education helped Probst Miller succeed in being a veterinarian, however it is some of the things learned as a student-athlete that have given her purpose and vision in guiding her company.
 
"What I miss most about being a student-athlete is the sense of team, the sense that we together are going to do our best to get the job done.   I apply that same sense of team to my company AgCreate Solutions.  Together we can bring in the business, so that together we are have a sense of accomplishment in the latest baby born, the latest employee hired and the latest equipment bought, to make our lives easier.  We are a family working together towards a common goal.  What a great lesson from athletics to transfer to business."
 
Sport at EIU: Women's Basketball
Graduation Year: Class of 1997
Major at EIU: Zoology