Temple student-athlete Millie Howard talks track, economics, and adapting to a different culture

Temple University senior and track-and-field star Millie Howard is a new recipient of the Elite 90 award, presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA participating at the finals for each of the NCAA’s championships. For Howard, that was the 2020 NCAA Division I women’s indoor track and field championships.

A resident of North Yorkshire, England, Howard is an economics major with a 3.98 GPA. That stat got her named to the 2019 Trustee Ten for having one of the top-10 highest GPAs within the Temple Athletic Department. At the American Athletic Conference championships, she earned a gold medal as anchor of Temple’s distance medley, a silver in the mile, and a bronze in the 800 meters. She qualified for the NCAA indoor championship in the mile, but the event was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

We caught up with her via Zoom at her home in England:

Question: The NCAA championships were in Albuquerque, New Mexico. You were there when the event was canceled, and I understand your brother and father had flown from England to attend. How did that work out?

Answer: They flew to Albuquerque on a Wednesday. [The event was cancelled the next day, March 12.] It just happened so fast. Obviously, we thought that if they were going to cancel, they would have done it before everyone flew to New Mexico. It was chaos. So that was disappointing. My dad and brother changed their flight itinerary and got a couple of days with me in Philly, which was nice.

Q: Do you know what you would like to do after graduation?

A: Long-term, my goal is to open my own fitness studio as a social impact project in communities that are less well off. I’ve had a big interest in globalization development, and have experience and internships in international NGO’s, so I’m interested in that side of economics.

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Q: What made you come to the U.S.? And why Temple?

A: I’m from a tiny market town, and [the high-ed sports infrastructure] doesn’t have something like the NCAA. If I was going to university in the UK, I’d have to pay to use the track. It’s crazy. As for Temple, I was approached by a lot of college coaches, but the one who really connected with me was [Temple cross country/assistant track] coach James Snyder. I was also looking exclusively at universities in cities because, as a foreigner, it’s a lot easier to be in a city because it’s generally more international. I didn’t want to be in the middle of nowhere.

Q: What do you think of Philadelphia?

A: I think it’s a great city to be a student in. It’s big enough that there’s stuff going on, but it’s not so big that you’re kind of absorbed by it. And I love eating out, so the restaurants in Philadelphia are fantastic. I have eaten my way around the city, I will tell you that much.

Q: How tough was it to leave home?

A: I’m really close with my family, and that was one of the hardest things (about leaving). There are moments where you’re feeling a bit sick or down in the dumps — that’s when you miss your family the most. I’ve got my brother, he’s 19. And then my mom and dad. And then my granddad lives in the backyard — we bought him a little bungalow house.

Q: You were part of a dance company in England. What was that like?

A: The first 16 years of my life, I exclusively danced. I did ballet, tap, Irish dancing, jazz, street dance. I was part of the North Yorkshire Dance Company, a big dance company in my county of Yorkshire. I danced six nights a week. I started running when I was 14 but I was terrible. Then I started running competitively when I was about 15, and gave up dance at 16.

Q. You just won the prestigious Elite 90, which honors your blend of athletic skills and academics. What was it like to win?

A: Really cool. It’s nice to see that all my hard work — in the classroom and on the track — paid off. Making a national championship is tough enough, especially for track. But then winning that award, having the highest GPA, it’s a nice feeling.

Q: When you first arrived here, what cultural adjustments did you have to make?

A: I initially mistook people’s friendliness in restaurants and shops as fake. Back home, you walk into a shop and you don’t want anyone to talk to you. To me it was just way too much. I’m used to it now. And everything was very big when I came. Cars were big, buildings and roads were huge! People drive like maniacs sometimes. But I’m very much used to it now.

Q: Have you driven here?

A: I haven’t yet. I am not the best of drivers when I’m back home. Now, when I go to drive my car at home I get in on the wrong side.

Q: Can you share one of your fondest memories of Temple?

A: There are so many so it’s hard to choose. I think this past indoor season has been really fun for everyone. We collectively as a team achieved things we have never been able to achieve before. When we won the DMR [distance medley relay] at conferences for the AAC championship, that was a big moment for us because we knew we could have and should have won it multiple times before, but we just never managed to. Winning that was just a very special moment.