Real West Virginian of the Week: Mystik Miller found her way home — and built something from it
By Hannah Yost, The Real WV
Mystik Miller’s journey back to West Virginia — and her path to becoming a firefighter — are both worth spotlighting.
Miller is the executive director of W.I.L.D. Institute, a nonprofit based in Minden, W.Va., that provides technical, medical, and educational training for professionals, first responders, and the public. Originally from Berkeley Springs, Miller said she couldn’t wait to leave West Virginia when she was younger. She attended college in New Hampshire, and later lived in Maryland, San Francisco, and Chicago.
After leaving Chicago, she planned to return to California — but decided to take one more road trip through West Virginia first.
That trip changed everything.
Her drive began in the Eastern Panhandle and took her through the Appalachian Mountains, eventually bringing her to Lewisburg to visit a friend. At the time, the state was dealing with the devastating 2016 floods. Miller began volunteering with flood relief efforts, and was soon asked to oversee a warehouse of supplies.
That experience led to an opportunity with AmeriCorps — and a decision to stay.
“During that road trip, I realized how much at home I felt,” Miller said. “The people are amazing, the scenery is gorgeous. I was so at ease here. All the patterns that people thought were funny everywhere else were normal here — starting deep conversations with strangers, carrying pocket knives, fixing things yourself. Here, it’s normal.”
Miller decided to move back to West Virginia, and this summer will mark nearly 10 years since her return.
“It has just been phenomenal,” she said. “I love being back. I love this state. I love the people.”
After moving back, Miller became heavily involved in caving, eventually working in cave rescue.
In 2021, she was called to assist in a rescue. Familiar with the cave, she located the missing individual within 30 minutes.
Because fire departments have jurisdiction in cave rescues, that experience introduced her to the fire service.
At first, the idea of becoming a firefighter was new. She had previously worked with departments through fundraising and nonprofit work, but had never considered joining.
She was encouraged to take a class.
“If you don’t like it, you can just be the go-to cave rescue person,” she recalled being told.
But she quickly realized she enjoyed firefighting as well.
Women make up a small percentage of the firefighting workforce, and Miller experienced those challenges firsthand.
At one department, she said some members did not support her presence, and she was voted off the squad. After pushing a complaint for three years, the department now has multiple female firefighters and employees.
“Sometimes you just have to keep pushing,” Miller said.
Those experiences led Miller to create something she felt was missing.
“I created what I wanted to see,” she said.
That idea became Female Firefighter Weekend in Fayette County.
The event is designed as a female-focused training environment, with all-female instructors and participants.
“I wanted to see a collaborative, encouraging space that was very focused on women,” Miller said. “There’s something so remarkable about a female-dominated space.”
The weekend focuses on the physical demands of firefighting — hose dragging, ladder throws, forcible entry, and victim drags — while also creating a space for connection.
Miller said one of the biggest challenges women face can be internal.
“Overcoming internalized sexism can be an obstacle,” she said.
Through training and shared experience, she works to create an environment where those barriers can be addressed.
“I want to create an unforgettable experience and a community,” she said. “It’s all about building a shared experience so we can lean on each other.”
She hosts a female firefighter weekend in the spring and a women’s rescue conference in the fall.
For Miller, the most meaningful part of the work is seeing the impact.
“I love these events because seeing these women connect with each other and the material is such a great feeling,” she said. “They’re no longer a single woman in the room — they’re in a room full of women doing the same thing.”
She said the goal is for participants to leave stronger and more confident.
Ultimately, Miller is helping create a space where women feel comfortable, supported, and capable in a field where many have felt alone.
And nearly a decade after that road trip through West Virginia, she’s not just someone who came back.
She’s someone building something here.
Know someone who should be featured? Email your nomination to news@therealwv.com.
