Originally from Southern California, Samantha is a graduate of Wheaton College, where she received a B.A. in biblical and theological studies with a minor in environmental science. Before Sanford, Samantha worked as a regional manager with One Cool Earth, a non-profit organization providing garden-based science education programming to public schools on California’s central coast. With a strong conviction for environmental equity, Samantha is pursuing a Master’s in Public Policy degree at Duke’s Sanford School of Public Policy and is eager to begin a career in environmental policy. Outside of her academic and professional pursuits, Samantha can be found exploring local coffee shops, going out for a morning swim, hitting the trails for a run or bike ride, digging her hands through the soil, or sitting by the ocean.