MnCCC Spotlight: Mia Higgins
Gratitude in the Spotlight: Giving Thanks, MnCCC Style
In honor of the Thanksgiving season, MnCCC is highlighting a few Board members to express our gratitude for their contributions to our organization. This edition of Gratitude in the Spotlight features Mia Higgins, Sherburne County Community Corrections Office Supervisor, who currently serves as Treasurer of the MnCCC Board. Mia has been a supporter of MnCCC by participating in various User Groups, conferences, and training opportunities! Let's welcome Mia to the MnCCC Board by celebrating her contributions below.
How did you get into your current role at Sherburne County?
After multiple years in the financial workforce, I made the transition to Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement as I worked toward my Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice. In 2015, I began that journey as a 911 Dispatcher in Chisago County, and after I graduated, I moved on to become a Probation Officer in the Probation Department in Chisago County. After I moved to Princeton, MN, I found the opening for my current role and it tied in so much from my previous work experience that I took the chance, got the job, and have been here since July 2021.
Where did you grow up? What was your first job?
I grew up in Stillwater, Minnesota, which has caused a culture shock for me with the small towns that I have lived in since I graduated high school. My first job was working as a filer at OSI Physical Therapy where my mom worked, and I was able to work down in the dusty, dark basement, purging out physical paper files that qualified.
What made you want to get involved with MnCCC?
With my current role, I have a lot of involvement with various User Groups and conferences, and have completed various trainings offered through MnCCC. When I saw the opportunity to become Treasurer, I thought it was a great chance to take my financial background into a new atmosphere and try to learn more about another organization, as well as be able to network with so many individuals, departments, and counties.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to become more involved with MnCCC?
If there is something that interests you, go for it! Even if it doesn't happen the first time around, don't give up. There is someone out there who doesn't know it yet, but they're waiting for you to take on that role, bring that valuable knowledge, and help them learn something they didn't know beforehand. You could bring an opportunity to grow to others, all because you took a chance to get more involved.
What is a non-work skill you'd love to master?
I would love to learn how to cook... I have, unfortunately, won an office award for "Most Likely to Kill Someone with Their Cooking", and all of my family and friends would not argue that award either. The running joke is I can either make it raw or burnt, nothing in between. When I cooked dinner the first time for my (now) husband, I was determined to make fried potatoes that my mom always made... I mean, it couldn't be that hard! Well, two hours later, they weren't browned like hers always were, but I figured they had to be done by now. First bite: CRUNCH. They were completely raw. My husband got up, grabbed the hot sauce and covered them, then ate every last one. So now, I also don't trust his tastebuds.
What's on your bucket list?
I would absolutely love to travel to Italy... I am probably the pickiest eater any of you could meet, but I could survive my whole life on pasta. I want to learn to make the various types of pasta in Italy, and be able to experience the culture over there.
Thank you, Mia, for sharing some fun facts about you, and for taking the leap to get involved on the MnCCC Board. We are looking forward to growing together!