Finding Purpose Through Service
In this episode of Unstoppable Stories, host Nathan James sits down with Samantha Howard, a dedicated leader and advocate who has spent years championing higher education and community service. Samantha shares her journey of perseverance, cultural identity, and breaking barriers in leadership, shaped by her experiences as a UMGC graduate and former Latino Affairs Liaison for Prince George’s County.
Samantha reflects on her time at UMGC, where she found the support and encouragement to push through challenges and complete her education. She also discusses the significance of embracing one's heritage, advocating for underrepresented communities, and balancing career aspirations with family responsibilities.
If you're navigating your own educational or career journey and looking for motivation to stay the course, don’t miss Samantha’s inspiring story!
Episode Information
Samantha Howard:
That's the beauty of life. You never stop. So why not continue? You know, pursue your dreams, have new dreams. You change, you grow. You know, you're always gonna have a new challenge. Just if it's something that is truly in your heart that you wanna do it, do it. Don't let anything stop you. Don't let anyone, don't let you stop you. 'cause a lot of times that's just stopping. Most of us is ourselves. You know Noah,
Intro:
Welcome to the UMGC podcast. Unstoppable stories with your host, Nathan James.
Nathan James:
Hello everybody. Yep. This is Nathan and I'm here with Samantha Howard. Most recently the Latino Affairs Liaison for Prince George's County and UMTC graduate with her bachelor's degree in communications and her minor in art, right?
Isn't that correct, Samantha Art, right? Yeah. Perfect. All right. Well, thank you for being here with us again, Samantha.
Samantha Howard:
Thank you so much for having me on. I'm really excited about this interview.
Nathan James:
Yeah, we are too. We are too. Let's talk about your origin story, right? Um, your family's from Puerto Rico, um, and uh, so tell us a little bit about that journey, um, from Puerto Rico to here and where you fell in that.
Samantha Howard:
Yeah, so I, um, I was born in my name in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Um, I lived there. Until I was about seven years old and my mom was in the military and was, um, then stationed here. We came, um, into New York like many Puerto Ricans do. Um, we came into LaGuardia and stayed with some family in her book and for a little while until she received her orders to be in Falls Church.
So we've been in Falls Church, Virginia first for a little while and then, um, into Prince George's County. So I've been in Prince Georges County since about 1989 Now, ING is every time she. On deployment, I would returned to Puerto Rico. So whether it was when she went to Panama, when she was in Desert Storm, uh, when she was in the Gulf War, when she went to Germany, she had several deployments.
She was N Peace. So she was very necessary. And I would return to Puerto Rico and live with my family, my grandparents, or with my, um, aunts and I had many cousins that were around by same age. So it was really nice to be around family. I then returned, I stayed in Puerto Rico from like 13 to like the end of my senior year in high school, and that's when I returned here to Prince Georges County and went to Largo High School, uh, where I graduated.
And, um, at that time. Having almost like a dual experience, right? Having some time here in the States and then a lot of times and absolutely every summer in, in Puerto Rico. So that was really beautiful because I was able to experience my culture, retain my language, um, my bonds with family, while also creating a life here in Maryland.
Nathan James:
No, that's great. So you have described your life. As Polychronic. Right. And for anyone listening, that's basically relationship driven. Right. Um, so Samantha, talk a little bit about what you mean by that. I.
Samantha Howard:
Right. So poly, chronic and monoclonic are actually communication terms and, um, I learned about it in one of my communication forces at UMGC, uh, in my intercultural communication class.
And it so accurately described my lived experience in a way that I had never really. Thought about, um, in here, in the States and in most, you know, in American society, most people run a, what call is called Monochro time. Right? Which means everything is linear, everything is one step in front of the other, which is why people form lines, you know, wait turns, things like that.
Um, and some European countries also do it, you know, where they have a cue kind of culture, right? Which means getting aligned, right? Um. Ricans, we're not on that same time, we're on time, which is basically everything happens all at once. Um, and it all will get taken care of. Which is kind of like where, if you think about Caribbean culture in general, not just, uh, Puerto Rican culture, right?
It's a very relaxed state of being a very slow pace. Uh, but there's also this, this extreme confidence that things will get done. And so being able to learn that concept, I, I realized why I struggled with certain things, um, here in the States, you know, especially things like deadlines or expectations or, or patients, right?
Or like having to wait for things. Um, where in, in Puerto Rico and my life in Puerto Rico was much more fluid, it was much more easygoing, and I had to really understand that about myself. So that I could understand how I move. Um, in, in those spaces, but also how to incorporate that into who I am as a person and not strip myself of that, you know?
And because in instance, I would be stripping myself of like my cultural, my upbringing and the things that, that helped me move more peacefully throughout the world. So those two concepts were so interesting to learn in those classes and then to learn about myself and then to further apply them in a way that made my life more, just easier for myself.
Um, and, and made more sense to me.
Nathan James:
I think that's where learning is the best thing, right? Where you're taking classes, but it literally gives you a lens to understand yourself and your own journey that much more. Um, so that's, that's really special. I understand that there are certain societal norms, we'll call it, or maybe it's cultural norms, uh, that you have wanted to challenge, right?
Samantha Howard:
Cultural narratives or norms that you've wanted to challenge. Talk to us a little bit about that. So as a Latina woman, you know, someone who is Latina Caribbean, uh, there are certain social expectations, right? Like I, I grew up in households and in family units where women didn't work. Um, women stayed at home.
My mother is one of the few women who, uh, work and she, she didn't do an easy job either. She did. She was in the military and then after being in the military, she became a police officer after our retirement. She was also a decent national guard for a long time. Um, and the aunt that I lived with when I was in, but was also one of the few women who have finished school.
And, and worked and I was so inspired by them. They not only worked, but they also learned to drive, which seems like such a small thing, you know, in, in today's society. But I have, I still have cousins who don't drive, who don't have that independence, you know, and being able to see that example and say, well, I wanna do that.
I wanna go to school, I want to, um. I want to strive for more. Um, but that came as a challenge because we didn't have that previous experience, right? So they really couldn't mentor me in a sense of saying, Hey, I've done this before. I've gone before you. This is how you go to school. This is how you get a career.
This is, they were. Living that as they were. So they weren't really able to mentor me in that space. So you kind of have to spend a little bit of time figuring it out on your own and it doesn't come as easy. Um, and it comes with a lot of judgment. Uh, people would be like, oh, well, you know, I. You gotta get married and have kids and, and stay, be a, stay at home mom and all these things.
And I did do that for some time with my, with my first two children. I stayed home until they went to school and that's when I decided I wanted go back to school. And, but then when I had my last two children, I decided I didn't, I didn't wanna give my career. I had, there was an age gap between the first two and the last two, and I had built a beautiful career that.
I really genuinely wanted to stay at, and I had to find creative ways to meet those expectations, um, while also meeting my desires to want to have ambition and to want to do things and to want to have impact, um, particularly with young leaders, you know, and show them that it can be done, um, and that it doesn't have to come at.
You know, extreme personal sacrifice. It, it can be done with creativity.
Nathan James:
That's amazing. And in, in going to college, I understand, I think you inspired your own kids to go to college. Is that the case?
Samantha Howard:
Yeah. Yeah. So I, um, I put a clear expectation. So my, the expectations for my family were to finish high school, which I do not knock my family for saying, oh, you didn't go to college, you know, you should go to college or anything like that.
Like that. This is what they knew they. Many of my family members before me, um, didn't even finish my grandmother, didn't she? I think she had like third grade. Um, she went back later in life, which I found so inspiring to finish her high school. That's amazing. And I was so proud of her because she's my, she's my shera.
Like she's the, the ultimate person to me. Um, and. She, she never worked. She always stayed at home even though she did a lot. She was an entrepreneur at heart. She did a lot of different things, you know, sold food, um, watched children, you know, she was a seamstress too, so there was a lot of things that she did that I.
Embody the entrepreneurial spirit. So there was a lot to learn from her. And I told my children, my expectation is that you go to college and that you finish college. You can do whatever you wanted after that. But my expectation is that you go to college and we did everything as a family to support them in that.
And by the grace of God, one is finished and one is finishing now in May. And they're both, they both graduated, um, debt free, which is. Big part of that as well. They never had to take up student loans. Um, and we feel very blessed in that respect. So, two down, two to go. 'cause my other ones are still little.
They're, they're not ready for college yet, but the expectation is there for them too. And you know, for me, I, while people. Supported me. There was a lot of questions as to why, you know, like, why are you going back now? Like, you know, don't you have all these kids raises? Like, don't you have you, you have a job?
You know? And I didn't, I had a job that I loved and, and I was very grateful for that job, but I knew that I had started something and I needed to finish it. I think that was the biggest thing. And so I challenged my son who was nearing graduation, two that, you know, see who would graduate first. I told him, I'm gonna do it.
I'm gonna graduate first. And I took 29 credits in nine months while working a full-time job with four kids. And it was madness. I'm not, I'm not even gonna pretend that it wasn't, but. We all, as a family, came together and said, this is what we're gonna do. And I graduated, um, the year before he did. And I, and he was really proud.
And I was really proud because for various reasons. One, I was proud that I graduated. But I also understood that I was asking them to do something I had not done myself. And it was really important for me to lead them by examples to not say, you know, do as I say, not as I do, but you know, doing like I'm leading by example and I'm going to do this.
And, and it was a very beautiful graduation season, back to back graduation. So we have one more this year. So it's, it's been really nice. And I remember my son. Coming in one day and he just casually was just like brushing his hair and he casually comes into the room and he says, you know, mom, I'm really proud of you because you succeeded in a system that wasn't designed for you to succeed.
And, and I was like, wow, you know, like to have your child say that to you is something that is really, really beautiful. So I was really, I felt really, really good about all that.
Nathan James:
I mean, I was going to say. How proud you must be of them. Right. Um, I can only imagine. But to hear you say how proud they are of you, that's special.
That is so special. So you talked about, I. Wanting to finish what you began, right? You didn't have to complete your degree. You were doing quite well for yourself, right? And it's not as if you would be following the traditional college path anyway, right? So a lot of folks would say, well, no, we're good.
I'll continue to work and let's not worry about the degree. So if you could talk to me a little bit more about that. What was that? Fire, that instinct that you had that said, I have to finish this. Could you talk more about that?
Samantha Howard:
Yeah. I think you reach a stage in life where, and not, I'm not old by any means, but, but you reach a stage in your life where you start to take stock, right?
And you start to look at where you've been, where you are, and where you want to be, and. There's a lot of ways you can look at life. You can look at life and say, oh, well I'm, I am. I'm here because of X, Y, Z, or I'm not here. I'm not there because of X, Y, Z. Um, and I didn't know what was gonna happen after graduation.
I didn't know what was gonna happen after completing. I just knew I. That I had unfinished business and that I had started this and that maybe there was something on the other side of it, or maybe there wasn't. Maybe all there was was a piece of paper, right? But maybe there was opportunity and I wanted to finish.
I didn't wanna feel like there was hanging over me. I didn't wanna feel like, um, like I couldn't do it. And I, and I never felt like I couldn't do it, but I. I just kept asking myself, how am I going to do this? You know when life feels so big and there's so many things going on and there's so many priorities, right?
And in reality, everything can't be a priority, right? You have to have some priorities, and I said, I want this. I want this off of me. I want to be able to do this and complete this, and it was a bigger challenge than the grades, and it was a bigger challenge than the completion of classes. It was really about pushing myself.
Seeing what I was capable of, um, and if I was capable of keeping my word to myself. And that was really, really important. And it was a really good lesson, not just in self-discipline, because a lot of people think, oh, you must have so much discipline. And what you really have to have is self-love. You really have to love yourself so much to say you deserve this, and I'm going to do everything in my power to make this happen.
For mothers. I think that can be very challenging because we, we have so much love to give, right? And we have so much love that we're expected to give, right to our children, to our spouses, to our families, and. God bless if you're a eldest daughter in a Latino household, which I am. You know, like there, there's so many expectations there too, and sometimes you find yourself at the bottom of that list.
And I found that while I was giving so much and I was doing so much and I was happy to do it. There was still a little void, you know, a little calling to say, you know, but where is the time for you? Like, where is what you can do? And I decided that I was going to put this particular challenge of completing school at the top of my priority list, and everything came below it.
And it wasn't a matter of like not doing what I need to do in other areas, you know, dismissing them, but just getting creative in how I did things and. And I, and I committed to me and then I showed up for myself and I asked everyone around me to show up for me too. And those that love me did. And it was, it was amazing because you have so much fear sometimes to ask and say, you know, can you help me?
Particularly if you're strong and you're independent, you know, you, you wanna do all these things that you don't wanna burden other people that you wanna, but the moment I said, I wanna do this, can you help me? Can you support me? Everyone who loved me showed up for me. And that was. I think such a beautiful lesson.
And I think that because I was older, because I wasn't, you know, an 18 or 19-year-old, I was able to view it with much different eyes and I was really able to like get so much gratitude out of it, you know, and just be like, wow, this is so beautiful. And it helped challenge a lot of my thoughts that I had about success and about how to achieve success, um, particularly when you feel like.
I've Al I I, before I finished my degree, I always felt like I was five years behind everybody else because I didn't have the degree, regardless of the fact that I had a career and I had, you know, children and I was married and I had the white picket fence and all these things, right? I still felt five years behind.
I. Now that I've been able to complete that, get it off me, and I learned so much in the process. I feel like I'm 10 years ahead now. You know, like I've had these opportunities to have these experiences with my adult mind, and it's been so gratifying. It's just been, it taught me so, so much and I'm so grateful for the experience.
I wouldn't, I don't think I would change it at all if I had the opportunity to go back and do it differently. I'm not sure that I. That I would have maybe some things, but, but I definitely got a lot out of it.
Nathan James:
This was over the course, right? Your education journey as far as higher education was over the course of about 19 years I think it is.
Right? Yeah. So to speak. So what would you say right to our listeners, to our viewers, uh, about not giving up? Some would think, oh, 19 years, I would say it's a long time. How do you keep it going all that time? What would you say about not giving up that you learned from that journey?
Samantha Howard:
It's not worth giving up, you know, like it's, it's more value in persisting than there is in giving up, because giving up is an action too.
You know, like, uh, persisting as an action and giving up is an action. And each of those actions have, you know, and, and equal and opposite reaction, right? So they have consequences and it's best. And I think that, that, just as I just made that statement, that would I have changed anything? The only thing I think I would've changed is that I would've kept chugging away if it was just one class at a time.
If it was just, you know, not taking breaks, you know, if it would've just been, been consistent, even if it was chipping away, three credits at a time, one credit at a time, whatever, I should have done that. Um, but I'm glad I didn't give up on myself because what hadn't changed in all of those years of not completing that degree changed almost immediately after changing the degree, you know, I, I had.
Not just earned a degree, but I had earned a level of confidence that I had been lacking. I had created and solidified and, and enhanced relationships through my outreach, through saying, Hey, I need this help with people that had been waiting to help me. That that, you know, that had been wanting to support me in this, but maybe had never verbalized it, you know, or maybe didn't wanna push it on me, you know, or say, Hey, you know, you should be doing this, you know.
And I learned so many things. And then also to watch the impact of my actions on my family, on my children, on myself, you know, on my community. Uh, it was just completely worth it. It was absolutely worth it, and I could have never imagined, I thought I was striving for a piece of paper. I thought I was striving for a degree, but what I got out of it was so much more than that.
And that. Is the college experience. I feel like in a nutshell, you know, that it really, and whether you're 18 or 40, you know, like that's what you're getting out of this experience. And it has been, it has opened so many opportunities, so many doors, so many new relationships, so many old relationships, recon, build or strengthened.
And I'm glad I didn't give up. And not just that, you know, when you finish it, you enter into a new stage. That's the beauty of life. You never stop. So why not continue? You know, pursue your dreams, have new dreams. You change, you grow. You know, you're always gonna have a new challenge. Just if it's something that is truly in your heart that you wanna do it, do it.
Don't let anything stop you. Don't let anyone, don't let you stop you. 'cause a lot of times that's a stopping most of us is ourselves, you know? Um, and, and, and get creative. That's so true. And that's, that's what I attribute that art degree to. I feel like that art, that art minor. Really helped me look at life differently and, and be more creative in the way that I completed things.
Nathan James:
Now doors opened for you. You are the Latino Affairs, uh, liaison, right? From Prince George's County. Right. Um, that's your most recent position. How did that come about? Right. Um, was that after you graduated, did you imagine yourself taking that position? Did it come by Surprise?
Samantha Howard:
So that's an interesting story.
Um, I, previous to this role of the Latino Affairs Liaison, I was a Hispanic and Latino rock. Recruitment coordinator at, um, prince George's Community College, um, which I did at CHE first before attending, um, UMGC. And I was in that role for 18 years. And while I evolved with the grower and, and grew the role and, um, had a lot of opportunities there, I knew that I was, um, professionally maxed out there and I wanted to make the next step.
I wasn't sure. What I was gonna do after graduation, I did after graduating, decide to do the emerging Leaders program at Prince George's Community College, which was such a good opportunity to kind of revisit my career and plan for the future. I thought that I would then maybe seek another role in higher education because I've been in higher education for such a long time, and out of nowhere I got an email about this position.
I did not know that the position was open or that it existed in this role, in this capacity, and someone said, you know, you would be a great fit for this. I was like, well, why not? Let's, let's apply. And several interviews later, I, uh, stepped into the role and it felt like the time was absolutely right for it.
That, that everything had come together. That, um, and, and I can't remember who said that, but somebody said is, uh, luck is when preparation and opportunity meet. And I feel like those two things had come together at the exact right time. The, the. The preparation that I had gotten both in my career at Prince George Community College, and with the degree that I received at UMGC and the opportunity to step into this role, and I've been in the role for a little over a year now.
Uh, and the opportunities that I get to impact my community, to support my community, to strengthen the bonds of government with our community have been invaluable. And I, and I. I know that I would have needed that degree to step into this role. So it's been really nice to say this beautiful opportunity came just as I finished, uh, my degree at I-U-M-G-C.
Nathan James:
You have said, um, quote that your dedication to this community. Right. Has driven you throughout your career, right? As a passion that you have, and you just referenced it, you're clearly an amazing role for that passion and make that an impact in that way. Um, how did that commitment, that passion for your community right, uh, come to come about for you?
Samantha Howard:
So when I was at Prince George's Community College as a student and I did start, um. Directly outta high school, but I decided to take a break and you know, came back after about five years after having completed high school. I found myself. Navigating higher education, like trying to understand like what is a fafsa, like what is an application deadline?
You know, all these things that like literally nobody in my family knew about, nor could they give me any guidance on. Um, and it was, it was challenging. And I remember being a student and joining the enrollment services student ambassador program at the time. They had just started it and, um. Just me being who I am, I, I, I was like, well, let's, let's become the president of this organization.
So I decided I was gonna, you know, run for president of the Student Master program and, and I won the presidency. And one of the opportunities that I got in that role was to write a grant, uh, for programming. And it was due the office of Recruitment. And I wrote in a program specifically for Latino recruitment, which at the time wasn't, um, being done.
And so I won the Excel mini grant, um, which at the time Dr. Dukes was, uh, the president of the community college, and she awarded me a grant to run this program. And this program was specifically for Latinos. It was in Spanish, you know, it, it had, um, a parent component, which was really important because Latinos, we make decisions in family units.
Um, and it was. A welcoming event to, to show our Latina community that not only are you welcome here, you know, but there are resources and opportunities to help you navigate this, this experience. Maybe in the first time, um, you know, first generation student or um, first time in this country. Navigating our educational system.
And from there, uh, they created the coordinator recruitment and community relations position, which is this position that I had and hired me, uh, full-time to work there. And it was just one of those opportunities where I was like, how can I use my lived experience as someone who came from. Puerto Rico, and while I understand Puerto Rico is a US territory, it's still a different system.
You know, there are different things every, um, the language is different. The Bridges system is different. And understanding and learning more also about our immigrant, uh, residents and their experience. How can we help them navigate the higher education system to get a college degree and associate degree and go on to bachelor's degree or, or other higher education opportunities.
While also supporting their learning process and all of that work that I was able to do there from changing the rules around how we, um, charged, uh, residency, uh, tuition for undocumented students or DACA students, um, to expanding the promise, which was scholarship funding for undocumented students, um, to changing the language that we use in, in the application, um, that would be more inclusive for our students.
From all those things and all that experience, it very easily translated into the role that I have today, um, on a much larger scale, of course, because Brush Georges County does count with over 250,000 Latino residents. Um, so it's a much larger population. Um, but it really was the foundation that was laid for me to be able to do this work today.
And I, and I, and because. I'm committed to this community 'cause I am this community. So it, it impacts me, it impacts my children, it impacts my household. Uh, it impacts the county that I live in and the county that I love. So it wasn't, um, it wasn't easy. Right. Uh, but it has been absolutely worth it.
Nathan James:
You've described this experience of learning for the island.
And, uh, also wanting to be home sort of at the same time, right. In the US so to speak. So, um, could you talk a little bit about your relationship, your personal relationship as a stance now, uh, with Puerto Rico and, and how it influences your, uh, your current thinking and, and identity
Samantha Howard:
so that that's. That's a really good question because it, it's what a time to be Puerto Rican right now.
Like there's just so, so much going on, some not so great. Right. Some that's beautiful. I think that Puerto Rico right now is experiencing a sort of identity renaissance that is beautiful to watch. Um, there is a yearning to return. There always will be. I think that there's always a thought of being able to return to maybe retire there, you know, to, to.
I'm always, I try to go at least once or twice a year, you know, just to be there with family. Um, family also come and visit me here. Um, but there are also the experience in the diaspora, right? Being here recently, I found a group that is teaching Bomba here, which is an Africa Caribbean dance that, um, I danced many, many years ago with a group here at college.
I, the um, and. Seeing it. Here's amazing.
Nathan James:
I'm familiar. I'm familiar.
Samantha Howard:
Oh, are you?
Nathan James:
yes, I'm familiar. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm familiar. So they teach it once
Samantha Howard:
Oh my Lord, I've, a month here and one of the centers here. And it is, there are a group called ura, which is a group that's teaching it now. And to have Bomba in Prince George's County is like having a piece of home and I think it's so wonderful.
Um. As a part of my role as a community resident, right, like as a private citizen, I am also on the commission for Caribbean Affairs for the Governor, and that has been so beautiful to be able to still be in touch with my roots, with my cultural roots, with my identity, and to also represent my community.
And it's been, it's been beautiful. I could just, I just wish we had a Puerto Rican restaurant here for the George County. That would be awesome. Or a bakery. I'll take either one. Um, but staying connected with my family, uh, staying connected with my roots, with my home, staying connected with the news and things that are happening is important.
I think that, um, for a lot of people in the diaspora, that's important to stay, to stay a part of that, but also. Living, um, my culture, you know, whether it's with my children, teaching them the language, teaching them their identity, um, ensuring that they travel to the island as well because they're all born here.
Um, but helping them create a sense of identity around that part of, of their culture is, is super important, uh, to me and to our family. Um, 'cause you don't stop being puerto, you know, you just, you just have a different piece of lamb and I'm. I am grateful for both experiences and I'm also grateful to have been welcomed here in Prince Georges County, you know, and to feel welcome and I want that same experience for our other, you know, Latino brothers and sisters to have that same.
Sense of identity and that same sense of rootedness here. Um, and having gone through the public school system here on the community college and the university here in male, you feel, you feel very, um, you know, prince George is proud.
Nathan James:
Okay. Uh, Samantha Homecoming, something really special happened there.
Can you please talk to us about that?
Samantha Howard:
So this was my first homecoming with the, no, it wasn't actually, it was my second one because the first one was in the metaverse last the year before last. So last year was my first in-person homecoming, and I received the 2024 Alumni Achiever Award from the UMGC Alumni Association, which is actually right here.
This is my award. Oh, look at that. Um, with the original piece of art, which I thought was just so in line, you know, with my experience and with my journey, having gotten an art minor and getting an original piece of art from UMGC was just so touching. I was surprised. I, I was, um, honored and something very, very special happened that day.
So they had asked me who I wanted to invite, and of course, you know, the normal people, you know, my husband. Spend and, and, and some friends and some family and, but I said, you know, I don't know. Can you invite my success coach? Because the one person that was. Always calling me. And not, not in a bad way, not like he was always calling me and saying, Hey, do you need some support?
Do you need some help? And sometimes I would be like, Hey, like I'm really busy right now. Like, can you call me later? You know, or I do have a question, but I just don't have time to go over it right now. He's like, okay, gimme the question really quick and I'll get back to you. He would, um, get back to me and it was very helpful, particularly because I had spent so much time in school.
A lot of people don't realize catalogs can change during that time. So I was part of an old catalog, which meant that I needed to make sure I took the right courses. I didn't wanna take any extra courses. I wanted to make sure I stayed on track with the art minor. There was a few things that we needed to iron out in terms of like retaking certain classes to get more credits.
Um, so it was, he was so helpful and they were like, sure, yeah. Okay, we'll invite him. I didn't know he wasn't here in the state of Maryland and they flew him in from Arizona to be at the at the award ceremony. I just thought that was so nice and so special, and it was just. It really showed me, you know, how UMGC is willing to go above and beyond for their students and not just while they're in school.
And that's the beauty of it. You know, like it's a lifelong support, um, that I, I have felt very supported by the institution, not only when I was there, but also even now as an alum. And it's. It's just such a beautiful thing that it's out here for adult students, you know, who, who maybe didn't get that, that college experience, um, as, as a younger, as a younger student.
So I was really excited about that. That was, and I, and I, and I have it up here with a lot of pride.
Nathan James:
A lot of pride, and a lot of excitement. That's what it's all about. All right, let me wrap up with this. Okay. So. I think your life personifies the idea that not everyone's life is cookie cutter. Not everyone's educational journey or life journey is going to look the same, right?
You're not afraid to take a non-traditional path to get to your goals, to realize your dreams, to discover your aspirations, right? So for everyone listening. But I think especially for our viewers and our observers who may have be able to resonate with what you said about feeling five years behind, you just feel like you're behind.
I feel like that sometimes. Tell us what you have to say, uh, for folks sort of struggling with feeling like they're less than or behind the curb.
Samantha Howard:
I think that, I think there's a lot of beauty in just embracing the non-linear, right? Everybody doesn't have. The same path. And if we stop and think about just how beautiful that is, that we all have different experiences and that we all have different timelines, um, and also sit in the power that you can control your timeline, you can decide.
What you want to prioritize and what you want to make happen. And there will be sacrifices, you know, along the way. And there will be hard questions that you'll have to ask yourself. And there'll be, you know, sometimes sleepless nights and sometimes you know, little breakdowns when you're like, oh, this didn't go high, I expected.
But just to remain consistent and to remain. Focused on you and not on everybody else in the world that we live in, when there's a lot of messaging, a lot of, um, sometimes deceiving messages, right. That, that lead you to believe certain things are what they're not. And we, we can get caught up in that. We can get caught up in looking around and seeing, oh, well this person did this or will this person, but, but you don't know the whole story.
The only story you know is your own.
Nathan James:
That's a good point.
Samantha Howard:
So I, I want people to sit in the power that just make a choice and don't worry about if something didn't work out, or don't worry about the past because all you have before you is now the present. What next step can I take to, to go towards my goals?
And if you experience a setback, because trust me, I have experienced a, a number of setbacks. Just get back on track. Look at it. See, was there a lesson there? Was there something that you learned? Even when you do something wrong, you learn. You learn some. Don't do that again. Maybe you learn that, right? So you learn something.
Mm-hmm. And if we can change our perception of what we think we should be doing and just focus on what we want to do, of what we want to achieve, there can be so much more head space because we fill our heads with this, well, I should have done this, or should have, would've could, or, you know, or this didn't happen, or I'm behind, or I don't feel this way.
Don't focus on that. Focus on, okay, what can I do now to help myself later? And, and that's all you can do is just be on your journey. Don't worry about whether it was on somebody else's timeline, because when you look up after you've done what you said you wanted to do, you'll be like, wow, I'm so glad I did that because, and I used to say this when I recruited before, 'cause people will say, oh, two years is such a long time.
You know, for an associate to go, I'm like, two years are gonna pass you by regardless. Whether you do something or you don't, it's gonna pass you by. So might as as well do something for with it, you know, and it, what, what didn't change in years for me changed into, so there's so much that can change for you if you just.
Create a focus and work towards that.
Nathan James:
Thank you, Samantha. Thank you for that. Uh, thank you for being here with me, for being here with us. And, uh, I want to thank our viewers, uh, thank our listeners as well. Um, and remember, uh, to subscribe, uh, to like, uh, in order to see more unstoppable stories like Samantha.
We'll see everybody next time.