Ms. Sam holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Recreation, Sport and Tourism Management and a minor in Environmental Fellowship from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has worked at both recreation and environmental education facilities, gaining over 10 years of experience with preschool and school-aged students as an educator. Physically active games and activities designed to promote teamwork were heavily incorporated into programming at each of these facilities. Physical fitness has been a very important part of Ms. Sam’s life from her toddler years when she began taking and fell in love with ballet, which she continues to teach currently. She is looking forward to the upcoming school year at Crystal Lake Montessori School, and getting to know and work with each and every student.

Ms. Sam was born and raised in McHenry County and currently lives in Cary with her husband and two young sons. She spends as much time outdoors as possible hiking, fishing, camping, and bike riding with her family, and walking her two dogs.