The Surge

Assistant Athletic Director Angela Miller grew up an athlete, her own journey beginning with the basics like volleyball, basketball and softball. Her family was and still is steeped in sports—her father was an athletic director and coach, her uncle coached as well and several of her children compete at the collegiate level currently. Today, Miller acts as an advocate for all athletes, but particularly, women in sports. Miller said that athletics changes the way a person operates by instilling habits and building confidence, a key reason as to why the lessons taught through sports are so important both on and off the field.

“Growing up in a coach’s family, we saw the impact that my dad was making, not just on us but on other athletes and that was something that really resonated with me as I was growing up and what I have always wanted to do. I have always wanted to be able to have a hand in helping someone to achieve their goals or empowering someone through athletics,” Miller said. “I was also taught that athletics is not just playing your sport, but it is learning how to be a good teammate, learning how to work well with others, learning how to set goals and work to achieve them by setting little mini goals and milestones. It just helps to build dedication and discipline.”

In her youth, a lot of sports were not available to Miller; she played what she could. As of 2025, however, Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) oversees over 15 unique sports across the entire state, all of which are offered in Broward County. Cypress Bay now provides all of the available sports programs, achieving Miller’s goal of building an inclusive environment where any athlete can thrive. 

“We have every sport for women that the Broward County Athletic Association (BCAA) offers,” Miller said. “We constantly advertise, I am constantly talking it up in my classes, in clubs, in the hallway. I have become the person that all the teachers send the female athletes to. Things like ‘This girl is interested in this, do we have this?’, and now, I have girls in my class doing sports outside of school that will come and ask for advice. We have built this female empowerment community and we try to keep bringing more and more female athletes as much as we can.”

Miller is adamant that to reflect the Bay’s diverse range of students, there must be athletic programs to match. Lessons that kids struggle to translate into academics sometimes come easily to them through sports—social skills, patience and leadership.

“Our kids are so multitalented and if we were to limit ourselves to just the traditional sports of football, volleyball, basketball, baseball, soccer, we would cut out so many athletes on our campus because we have a lot of kids that excel individually,” Miller said “It makes them a better leader and an overall well rounded person just because of the social skills you learn through athletics. It is not just about the sport, it is about all the other life lessons that come along with it.”

Miller sees athletics as a path towards success. Her role as an athletic director allows her to support athletes of the bay and push them towards their goals knowing that even small acknowledgments may be the push they need.

“I am an assistant swim coach and an assistant girls’ basketball coach, but being in the role of assistant athletic director, I am able to really work with all of our athletes and watch them at so many different avenues. Any way that I can draw out attention to ‘hey that was a great play you made last night’ is to help boost those kids,” Miller said. “No matter if it was a tiny little play, if they had the game winning shot or whatever it was, when you see someone doing something that they love or even getting just a tiny bit better and you comment on that, it opens up a door for them to explode not just in their sport but everywhere.”