CSUSM Grad Protects Team USA Athletes at Winter Olympics

When Taylor Miller-Wing stood in the Olympic Village in Cortina, Italy, answering questions from athletes who had just won medals, he knew his career pivot had paid off.

The Cal State San Marcos graduate worked as a special agent with the U.S. State Department's Diplomatic Security Service during the recent Winter Olympics. He was one of just a few agents selected from the Boston Field Office for the assignment, arriving only two years after joining the agency.

Miller-Wing's journey to the Olympics started with a setback. The Carlsbad native played quarterback in high school and dreamed of college football, but a shoulder injury ended those plans. Instead, he joined the U.S. Army in 2017.

While serving with the Army Reserve's 416th Civil Affairs Battalion, he worked alongside diplomatic security agents overseas. The job intrigued him, but he thought it required a political background. His mother, who worked at a U.S. embassy, corrected him and pointed him toward the DSS special agent path.

He went back to school as an adult student, earning his degree in global studies from CSUSM in 2022. The university's flexibility made it possible to balance his military service, work responsibilities, and coursework.

In Italy, Miller-Wing protected athletes at the Olympic Village and filled in at competition venues. He watched nearly 20 curling matches and saw Cory Thiesse become the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in curling. He met ski legends Mikaela Shiffrin and Lindsey Vonn, and checked the Jamaican bobsled team off his bucket list.

Why This Inspires

Miller-Wing's story shows how detours can lead to destinations better than originally planned. A football injury that seemed like the end became the beginning of a career protecting American diplomats and athletes worldwide.

The Diplomatic Security Service operates at more than 275 posts in over 170 countries, creating safe environments for U.S. foreign policy work. Miller-Wing is among 2,500 specialists traveling the globe, turning an impossible dream into daily reality.

His time at the Olympics reminded him why he chose this path. Athletes greeted everyone with smiles regardless of their results, and international cooperation made the event run smoothly. The work felt less like security detail and more like bringing the world together.

Now back to regular assignments, Miller-Wing carries those Olympic memories forward as proof that second chances can take you anywhere.