Sam was born and raised in the Bronx. Her first formative aquatic experience was a dramatic one. It came during a family trip to Ocean World, the Dominican Republic’s version of Sea World. During a sea lion performance, Sam was walking too close to the edge of the sea lion enclosure and she fell in. Thankfully, the lifeguards hopped in and fished her out, but it was all the incentive her family needed to get her into swimming lessons. Soon after, Sam began to beg her dad to put her on a swim team. Finally when Sam turned eleven he agreed to let her join the Lehman College Lightning Bolts Junior swim team, where she remained a member through high school. Swimming is her first love and she enjoys sharing that skill and passion with others. Sam is currently attending Lehman College where she is studying Early Childhood Education and minoring in business management.