Sedro-Woolley School District’s new superintendent Dr. Miriam Mickelson has climbed mountains and walked through fire to be here in Sedro-Woolley today and make a change. 

“It was a very difficult life, and I was always hungry because there was not enough food and so I decided that education was my only escape,” said Dr. Mickelson during an interview at the Sedro-Woolley High School Library. “I didn’t want to live that kind of life forever.” 

Although growing up in poverty can make someone feel hopeless, Miriam Mickelson did not let that stop her from following her dreams.

Mickelson was born in the Philippines. She grew up in a poor, small village, the second of five children. Both her parents barely graduated from high school and struggled to provide for all five children.  As a girl, she says, she didn’t have much of a childhood.

“I was either doing chores, helping my family make ends meet or watching my younger siblings, so as a young girl I had a lot of chores like gathering firewood, cooking, washing clothes by hand, feeding goats, pigs chickens, harvesting crops by hand.” 

Mickelson was 12 when she realized that she wanted to pursue her dream of education.

“It wasn’t that I wasn’t content with my life because I had so much joy and love, but it was just a very difficult life to lead because of poverty. So at age 12, I decided that I would give everything I got into education.” 

Mickelson found a passion through education, and it was up to her to take charge and make change happen, no matter what it took.

“I decided I would go to college, so when I was in high school, I decided I would learn to speak English so that I would have some sort of an advantage.

Mickelson had no network, no money, and no connections, but needed an edge when she applied for college and jobs. She knew learning to speak English well would be to her advantage.  That was difficult for her because her parents did not speak any English. 

“I would go to the rich neighbors house and watch one of the few American shows available in my village. I would just go with my notebook and pen and just record phrases or sentences. I would then go home and practice. This turned out to be an excellent language tutor because by the time I was in college, I was very proficient in English,” says Mickelson, 

She became the first person in her family to earn a college degree, and at age 22, she had the opportunity to move to the United States, and took it. 

She sought educational opportunities here. When she came to the United States she went to school and found a job. Because education saved her from poverty, it became her passion.

“I’m very passionate about education, so when it was time for me to decide on a career, I thought I should go into education and give back.” 

Dr. Mickelson found a job as a substitute teacher, then became a 9th grade English teacher. She then got a job as an instructional coach, assistant principal, principal of a high school, and executive director of teaching and learning.  During this time while also having a family, she went back to school. She got her administrative certification, superintendent certification, and finally a doctoral degree. Mickelson achieved the impossible and proved that anything is possible with grit and determination; she is now superintendent of Sedro-Woolley School District.

After overcoming difficult obstacles to get to where she is today, Mickelson still has goals she wants to accomplish, starting at Sedro-Woolley School District. 

She recites the school district’s vision that every student is prepared for their future, specifically that every student graduates with the knowledge and skills for future learning and success. 

“To me, that’s being prepared for the future and I want to actualize that for all of our students, for every one of our students, and I want every single one of our students to graduate Sedro-Woolley High School prepared for whatever endeavors, prepared for whatever arena they want to put themselves in, whether that’s a career, college, 4-year university, 2-year college, technical career, military whatever it is.  I want every single student of Sedro-Woolley High School to go into that arena confident that they have what it takes to succeed.” 

While Mickelson focuses on the future of students at Sedro-Woolley High School, everything that she has learned throughout life makes Mickelson who she is, and she continues to use life lessons to better herself every day.

“But more than that, I would love for every single student to not only lead a life of success but also lead a life of significance.” 

One life lesson Mickelson learned that she continues to apply into her personal and professional life is just being kind. It boils down to kindness and compassion towards others. 

“Khalil Gibran said that compassion is like snow, it beautifies everything that it covers. And that is really how I feel about compassion. I learned at a young age just to be kind towards others because I was not always on the receiving end of compassion and kindness.”

 Growing up in the Philippines where there is a socio-economic class or status that you can get categorized into, and because Mickelson’s family was poor, they were always treated as second-grade citizens, and were not always treated with kindness. 

“We would be looked down upon, and that was really hard for me to witness growing up. Because when someone makes you feel small, it can have an impact on you. Fortunately for me, instead of becoming bitter and angry against the world, I just thought that was a non-example in my life. I will strive to always be kind to others and not always or ever be a source of frustration on other people because it can be condescending and rude,” says Mickelson, 

“For me, being kind not only helps other people, but it also helps me because when I strive to be kind I’m able to put myself in a mental, emotional, psychological space that is healthy for me. I don’t get eaten up by drama or tension or conflict or frustration very easily. That is one lesson that is very important to me.”