LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Jessi Milam was nominated anonymously. 

Ms. Milam leads the San Vicente Independent School District. San Vicente ISD is situated within Big Bend National Park, which spans 800,000 acres, making the district one of the largest in Texas by area, yet one of the smallest in terms of enrollment. Enrollment shifts depending on park staffing and the movement of families with Border Patrol employees in and out.

What makes Ms. Milam remarkable is that she doesn't just serve as superintendent, but the cook, counselor, plumber, and whatever else the day demands. She grew up in Knippa, outside Uvalde, and started her career in probation and parole before deciding she needed a change. She became certified to teach, took her first job in Port Arthur, and later taught in Houston, Uvalde, and Utopia before getting married and moving to Big Bend, where she assumed the superintendent role. She's now in her sixth year there.

Because the district is so small, typically comprising around 18 to 20 students from pre-K through 11th grade, Ms. Milam wears many hats. She handles the typical superintendent responsibilities, but she also helps design curriculum, evaluates teachers, counsels students, assists in the lunchroom, and even steps in as a plumber when something breaks. If a student forgets their lunch, they'll grab food from home. She'll even barbecue for the kids during cookouts.

Ms. Milam says she has the best job in Texas. She takes students into the park at least once a month for field trips and talks about how the landscape looks different every single day, the colors of the Sierra del Carmen mountains, the changing clouds, the blues and purples in the distance. Her job combines leadership, teaching, and community in one of the most unique settings imaginable.

Below is an article on Ms. Milam from Texas Monthly:

https://www.texasmonthly.com/being-texan/jessi-milam-superintendent-big-bend/