CLASS OF 2000: Ruth Miller

So close, yet so far awaySo close, yet so far away"Penn's a lot more liberal than anything I've ever grown up in." The seven-hour drive from Burton, Ohio, to Philadelphia signifies more than just miles on the odometer. For Ruth Miller, it meant adjusting to a whole different way of life from her rural home, where tapping the trees for maple syrup is common practice. "It's a lot different being on the East Coast," says the 19-year-old Nursing student. "It's a different lifestyle. People are more uptight here. They kick on the makeup and the black pants. People here just get more dressed up." At home, Ruth attended private Catholic schools and lived on her grandparents' farm (they grow corn) with her parents and older brother Ted. Here, she lives in a single in the Quad and has joined a sorority. "Before rush, I didn't know anyone in any sorority. I liked it all through rush. I liked the people." She joined Chi Omega for the new friends -- "a lot of people get stuck on their freshman hall. I wanted to be open-minded." "I'm not extremely involved now. I'd like to be -- we'll see how things go." Instead, much of her time is committed to the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC). Though Ruth admits she had "never really done a push-up before coming here," the program attracted her because of the opportunities for travel after college and the four-year scholarship. "I have a four-year active commitment after college," she explains. "I'll work in a hospital doing nursing stuff -- anywhere in the world. I'd like to go anywhere. It'll be a good way to see the rest of the country." This year, her ROTC program includes a weekly 6:30 a.m. lab requirement in boots and camouflage, where she practices drills (like taking apart guns) and rehearses ceremonies. "My brother was in ROTC too [at Notre Dame]. He's real into the Civil War," Ruth says. "I'm the total opposite. " But her inexperience didn't hinder her entrance test. "There was a written application, and interview, a physical and an aptitude test -- we had to walk in a straight line and stuff. "I was nervous about the pushups. I got a burst of adrenaline during the test -- I did 24 pushups in two minutes." Regular physical training tests ensure that the ROTC participants stay in shape -- they have to be able to do 18 push-ups in two minutes, 50 sit-ups in two minutes and run two miles in 18.5 minutes. "If you fail, you don't lose your scholarship, though," she explains. And that's Ruth's main focus in the end -- academics. "That's why I'm here," she stresses. "Since the Nursing School is in the top three, that attracted me right away. Otherwise I wouldn't have looked at Penn. I might minor in health care management in Wharton. Other schools wouldn't let you." Ruth emphasizes that the Nursing School is "like a little school inside a big one," with only 80 students in her freshman class. "People at home kept asking, 'Why would you want to go into nursing?' For me, it's something instinctual. I could've gone into Bio or Chem. But I figured I might as well do nursing." Apart from her numerous social and academic commitments, Ruth tries to find time for a daily run downtown. She even tried to fit in water polo at the beginning of this year, but the practice schedule conflicted with rush. In high school, she was an active athlete, playing baseball and soccer, and running track. But Ruth has decidedly not made time for the "numerous" political groups on campus. "A lot of people want change, but no one really does anything about it. There are too many groups with too many opinions -- after awhile, it's just like 'whatever'." She adds that her vote for Dole in the last election seems out of place at Penn -- "Penn's a lot more liberal than anything I've ever grown up in." That reconciling of the past and present seems to remain a struggle for Ruth, who says most of her high school friends "stuck around Ohio." But she takes the time to keep in touch and maintain the spirit of her small-town upbringing. "I'm who I am," she says, glancing at the glow-in-the-dark stars on her ceiling. "You kind of have to have that to stay sane." n

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