ARGOS – Each year the Indiana Volunteer Firefighters Association holds a Miss Flame scholarship pageant in the state and for the first time a girl from Argos will represent District 5 at the state pageant in June.
Sydney Miller, a junior at Argos High School, will represent the area after winning the district competition. A member of the Argos soccer and softball teams Sydney is no stranger to service.
“I really saw this as an opportunity,” she said. “The scholarship money is the big reason I got involved.”
Along with her time on the playing field Sydney is no stranger to volunteering in the community. She is the praise and worship leader at her church – Parkside Church in Argos – and is constantly looking for different ways to give back to her community.
In order to be considered a contestant must have an immediate family member that is a member of the IVFA and an active member of a fire department or auxiliary. Sydney’s father Rich is a volunteer member of the Argos fire department and just like his daughter no stranger to serving the community as a volunteer firefighter.
“I’ve been doing this for 25 years,” said Sydney’s Dad Rich a volunteer at the Argos Fire Department, “I really wanted to get into it full time, but you know how it goes. Life leads you in a different direction but you still give back to the community.”
Rich does admit to being a proud Dad.
“There’s no doubt about that,” he said. “We’re all proud of her. Everybody will be there in Columbus at the state competition.
Sydney’s proud family that will be in attendance includes Mom Amy and younger sister Carly.
The state competition will see winners from all over the state who will have to be interviewed by the state board of the IVFA and then answer questions before all in attendance at the final competition. If she is able to stand that test, Sydney plans to use the money towards her education in an occupation that will, you guessed it, serve the public.
“I want to go to one of the IU (Indiana University) campuses and study to be a trauma nurse,” said Sydney. “I want to specialize in PEDS (Pediatric) nursing. IU has the best programs for that.”
