After graduating from North Carolina State University with a Secondary Education English degree and an American History minor, Samantha remained in WCPSS for 9 years. She taught all levels of 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade English as well as Speech & Debate 1. During this time, Samantha also earned her Masters in Healthcare Administration from LSU-Shreveport in 2015. In 2020, Samantha moved back to Mount Ulla with her family and taught English I and English II at the Agriculture and Science Early College in the Iredell-Statesville School System before taking on her current role as Instructional Coach at West Rowan High School.

Through her teaching experiences in a variety of diverse educational settings, Samantha realized that she also had a passion for working with adults on instructional and professional growth. Building relevant and applicable content to engage all learners, regardless of their role in the classroom, is a passion Samantha continues to pursue.

Samantha is married to Jon, and they have two kids, Beckham (4yo) and Blakely (2yo), and three dogs, Heidi, Harper Lee, and Thor(nado). There is never a dull moment in the Queen household!