Born July 4, 1991 to Pastor Yong Kyu Cho and Lydia Mikyeoung Cho in Radcliffe, Kentucky, Miriam attended North Hardin High School and graduated valedictorian. Her classmates have described her as “quirky, confident, and brilliant.” One recounts her “ability to fall asleep on any bus ride no matter how short.”

Miriam graduated Cum Laude from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies, for which she completed a thesis exploring the religious identity of Japanese hidden Christians. A dear friend from her undergraduate career has written, “you were always so cool, yet totally down-to-earth and infectiously generous.” Miriam was also a three-time recipient of the Light Fellowship to study East Asian languages at the advanced level, completing overseas programs in Japanese, Korean, and Chinese.

At Duke Divinity School, Miriam earned her Master of Divinity in 2020 with a concentration in Preaching, graduating Summa Cum Laude at the top of her class. On the day of her virtual commencement, she wrote on social media, “Despite the pain, I made some wonderful memories and many of the most meaningful relationships I’ve had in life this far. They showed me that the deep love of friends was more than enough to make it through. So congrats to all of us! I can’t wait to see how we’ll all continue our journeys.”

Miriam grew up in a Baptist family and continued her faith with an open mind to other Christian faith groups and with a compassionate heart to marginalized communities. She was a gifted preacher with powerful insight, bringing people peace while calling them to action at many local churches, including CityWell. Miriam was responsible for Multimedia Production at the Innovative Space for Asian American Christianity and served as Coordinator of PastoraLab, for which she co-created the "When Women Preach..." podcast.

Most recently, Miriam was working as a freelance writer and audio/video producer. For years, she pursued her passion of, in her own words, “creating and supporting media that empowers voices often not heard… bringing individuals and organizations' narratives to life through video/sound/words, while enabling people to tell their own stories.” Her major projects included “Falling into the Sky,” an experimental short, “New Saint,” a digital portrait, and “Wutang,” a documentary short. In 2021, she received a filmmaking grant from the North Carolina Asian Americans Together Community Partners Network.

Miriam was incredibly active and loved to hike, bike, run, camp, and climb outdoors, particularly in Durham, NC where she lived. She traveled extensively, visiting more than 40 countries to learn from their cultures and environments.

Miriam was deeply loved, valued, and held by a strong community of friends and loved ones. She is survived by her father Pastor Yong Kyu Cho, mother Lydia Mikyeoung Cho, and brother Joshua Hongjin Cho. Miriam was preceded in death by her grandfather Pastor Timothy Hyohoon Cho.