Gwen managed Samantha at Torc Robotics.

“It was a pleasure to have Sammie on my team for several years, and I would recommend her highly. She is motivated, curious and brings energy to all her efforts. She approaches her projects with a combined holistic view and attention to detail. She is also skilled in developing a multitude of creative projects -- building a captivating story into photos, videos, graphics, and written work. Sammie partnered with me as our marketing and communication efforts ramped up, so she has a wide breadth of experience in everything from leading events to digital content strategy to internal communication. When it comes to garnering new skills, she is a quick and attentive learner. I believe she will contribute greatly to any team she joins.”

Samantha managed Kathleen at Archslate.

“Samantha has proven to hold amazing people skills and outstanding leadership. She includes everyone in the conversation and never turns a blind eye to anyone. Samantha takes time out of her day to check on those whom she has managed and does her best to understand how they genuinely feel. Her biggest strength is her advocacy and ability to take a moment to asses a high-pressure situation and come up with a solution without losing her cool. Her energy transfers to her employees and it motivates us to work harder than yesterday. Without hesitation, I recommend Samantha if you are looking for a strong and dependable leader.”

Samantha and Jennifer worked on the same team at Torc Robotics.

“I had the pleasure to work with Sammie at Torc in her role as Creative Media Specialist. She's multi-talented and brings the creative process to life in a highly organized manner, from brainstorming and storyboarding through editing and finished product. Her friendly manner put photography subjects at ease, and she often went out of her way to create process maps and tools that helped our department deliver quality products.”

Samantha and Juraj worked on written content together at Fingerprint.

“I enjoyed cooperating with Samantha on content for the Fingerprint blog. Samantha was always helpful, bringing fresh ideas and but also much-needed structure to the content creation process even amidst changing priorities and deadlines.”

Samantha managed Sidhanth at Archslate.

“Samantha was a singularly great manager. Through multiple methods that Samantha tailored to my work-style, she was able to ensure I completed my tasks effectively and on time. She did not hesitate to establish a rapport and connection over shared interests. Working with her was a pleasure of mine since I was able to function in a comfortable working environment while coming to realize and correct the issues I needed to work on. As a manager, she was understanding, respectful of space, direct, determined and overall wonderful to work with.”

Scott managed Samantha at Archslate.

“Samantha is knowledgable, thoughtful, and great at planning and resource management, and works well with team members. She would be an excellent asset to any marketing team and I highly recommend her.”

Tommy was the Director of the Black Male Excellence Network at Virginia Tech and hired Samantha for videography.

“I have known Samantha as a diligent, dedicated and forward thinking leader during my time working with her at Virginia Tech. Not only is Samantha an exceptional student; she is an excellent example of a positive, strong and hardworking professional. Samantha has eagerly taken on multiple projects within my office and I have seen her single-handedly elevate our communications efforts. By giving her time to weekly meetings, being highly responsive to requests and exceeding her project goals; Samantha has earned the respect and admiration of her peers and her project supervisors. It is that level of care and compassion that makes Samantha an invaluable asset to our office.

I chair a university initiative called the Virginia Tech Black Make Excellence Network. The committee is comprised of senior level administrators, professors, administrative/ professional faculty, graduate students and undergraduate students. There, Samantha proved to be a truly reliable and consistent member of our communication's team Samantha helped create, execute and manage our Crowdfund and social media campaign to raise money for underserved students to participate in an international cultural immersion experience. Because of Samantha's creativity and dedication, we were able to raise +$10,000 for our students. We were extremely lucky to have her on our team as an unpaid intern. This is truly a testament to her high level of self- motivation and the high standards that she sets for herself. With that, it is important to add that Samantha is a team player who is committed to uplifting others. She is a very versatile team member who is able to serve in a primary leadership role as well as an assistant. It is that flexibility that makes Samantha such a valuable part of our organization and as well as multiple initiatives across campus. She also is a strategic thinking, active listener and always has very good insight. All the while, Samantha has thrived in the classroom and has served the campus in various capacities. With that, I would rate her work ethic as a perfect- 10. Samantha does not back down from challenges and often exceeds even her own lofty expectations. She is known to be prompt but also work overtime to ensure that things are done at a high level. Samantha is also a person who loves life and is one of a rare breed of people who is able to be a 'workaholic' and still have a great social life with friends and family.

Samantha has displayed key traits that are important for our future leaders: commitment, balance, dependability and honesty. Because of these traits that I have witnessed, I enthusiastically and confidently recommend Samantha for this wonderful opportunity. Please feel free to contact me for any further information at tamal2@vt.edu or (773) 818- 9052.”