Samantha McMillan is the Social Studies teacher on the Aspen team of 7th and 8th graders here at Ashland Middle School. Born and raised in Illinois (she is a die-hard Chicago Cubs fan and displays a Cubs Win Flag in her room), Samantha studied Interior Design at Illinois State University and worked as an interior designer for two years after graduation. But a two-month backpacking trip in Europe convinced her to change paths; she wanted to have a more meaningful career and a larger impact on her community. That led her to a year working on a Disaster Response Team with Americorp before taking a job in California working with middle school students in an after-school program designed around hands-on apprenticeship programs. After getting her teaching license, Samantha spent the past 12 years teaching engineering and social studies at Adventure, a 5th-8th STEM program affiliated with Herman Intermediate School in San Jose. Last year, she moved up to the Rogue Valley to be closer to family and friends. We feel lucky to have her at AMS.
In addition to being an avid hiker and naturalist (Samantha’s current goal is to climb Mt. McLoughlin), she is always searching out new travel and learning opportunities. She studied how climate change is affecting our National Parks in a traveling teacher cohort with SOU and participated with the Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms program in the Philippines. Currently, the countries of Georgia and South Korea are at the top of her wish list of places to visit. She is also always on the hunt for the best noodles—whether it is pho or pasta (Don’t worry, we suggested Osteria La Briccola).
About the students at AMS, Samantha says, “I am impressed by the amount of artistic and creative opportunities students have here. I’ve never seen my students in a play before or heard them practicing music together in both small and large groups. I can tell they are bonded as a cohort.” Welcome to Ashland and AMS, Samantha!