Samantha White, a member of the Emory University women's swimming & diving program from 2002-06, played a pivotal role in helping the Eagles capture the first two national championships in team history in 2005 and 2006. During her four-year career, Samantha was a four-time national champion, winning the 500 Freestyle and 800 Freestyle Relay as a junior and repeating as the 500 Free champ as well as taking home top honors in the 1,650 Freestyle as a senior. She was a 13-time All-American, 7-time UAA champion, the UAA Swimmer of the Year in 2006 and was the first swimmer in program history to earn four All-America certificates in the 500 Freestyle. Samantha was also a standout in the classroom, earning two CoSIDA Academic All-America distinctions and was the recipient of the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship following her career.
Q: Can you tell us what your occupation is and where you are living?
Samantha White: I am the Scientific and Public Engagement Branch Chief in the Office of Neuroscience Communications and Engagement at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland (the Washington DC area). I made the pivot to science policy, strategy, education, and communications after training to be a research neuroscientist; this role allows me to talk about a far broader range of science with people of all backgrounds - even internationally!
Q: Can you give an update on some of your experiences post-Emory to where you are now?
SW: After graduating from Emory, I came to NIH to do a post-baccalaureate research fellowship, working in a clinical laboratory at the National Institute of Mental Health for two years. From there, I went to the University of Pennsylvania to complete my Ph.D. in neuroscience, specifically studying the changes in the reward regions of the brain during cocaine addiction and relapse, using a rodent model system. After graduate school, I coached swimming, was the program director for a fledgling non-profit leadership development program for graduate and professional students, and worked at a biomedical advocacy organization, Research!America. One year later, I started at NIH as an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Technology Policy Fellow at NINDS in the precursor to my current office, the Office of Scientific Liaison.
Q: What were the primary reasons in you choosing Emory for your college experience?
SW: At the end of high school, I knew I wanted to swim in college while pursuing a scientific major - at the time, I thought I'd also be pre-med. I had first heard of Emory in my junior year through swimming and as I researched the college and then came for a swimming recruiting weekend early in my senior year, I realized that it would allow me to integrate my desire to grow and succeed as a student-athlete. The academic reputation was certainly a draw, but the camaraderie of the swim team and amazing coaching staff truly sold it!
Q: Reflections upon your time at Emory, both as a member of the swim team and as a student
SW: As a student-athlete at Emory, I found and was welcomed into an environment that challenged me while giving me myriad opportunities to succeed. As a swimmer, I could collaborate with the coaches to fine-tune the rigorous training schedule (for me, about ~20 hours a week) to assure success in my races - whether I was rested or not. As a student in the Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology major, I had a diverse array of courses (in addition to a critically relevant core curriculum) to hone my interests as I prepared for a biomedical career after graduation. In both cases, though, I was able to balance "work and play" such that I didn't become overwhelmed or "burn out" of either pursuit.
Q: Can you name some influential people during your time at Emory?
SW: I cannot understand the impact of the Emory Swimming and Diving Team during my time at Emory. Swimmers in my class, as well as above and below, represented 70 "insta-friends" that really became more of a family-away-from-home. Relatedly, the coaching staff, particularly Head Coach Jon Howell, influenced me both as an athlete and an individual. I am still in touch with ESD to this day, as it is a permanent part of who I am and who I have become. Academically, Dr. David Edwards' - who was one of my favorite professors, then my academic advisor - mentorship helped me navigate my major and associated opportunities, particularly after I decided I did not want to pursue medical school. Dr. Edwards helped me to see and prepare for the expanse of careers beyond a medical degree, as well as sharing skills and strategies relevant for any professional encounter.
Q: You played a pretty pivotal role in helping the Eagles capture their first two national championships in 2005 and 2006 – What can you still remember from those two national meets, notably the 2006 meet which at the time had the slimmest NCAA margin of victory ever?
SW: Fascinating - I didn't know this fact until just now! I remember that in the process of those wins, we really gelled as a team - we were each contributing our part and understood the sum of those parts would be greater than the whole, and needed to be for us to win. Personally, I had done everything I could think of to set myself up so that when I stepped behind the blocks, I truly believed that there was no reason why I should not succeed (drop time and, hopefully, win). So it was exciting to have trained the whole year and get to perform in a situation where it really mattered to my team and the school.
Q: In your career, you amassed four national championships – 500 Freestyle & 800 Freestyle Relay in 2005 and the 500 & 1,650 Freestyles in 2006 – to go along with a total of 13 All-America honors. What was your preparation like when getting ready to compete in some of these major events?
SW: With the help of the coaches, I had come up with a pretty specific warm-up that was unique to my needs as an athlete and the events I swam. In addition to the warm-up, I would be very careful to stay super hydrated with both water and some electrolyte-rich beverage, but I didn't like competing with food in my stomach, so I'd have timed eating accordingly somehow. I almost always listened to "The Distance" by Cake shortly before heading to the blocks or 'ready room.'
Q: Your swimming resume also includes UAA Swimmer of the Year, 2x Academic All-American and a NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship -- What were some key factors in your ability to balance swimming and academics at such a high level?
SW: Some seriously aggressive levels of commitment/dedication and organizational skills.
Q: Other Highlights that you remember while swimming at Emory?
SW: I remember being thrilled and inspired (competitively... I wanted to win MYSELF) by other's successes. My freshman year, we hosted Nationals and Lindsey (Hoffner) Baron was the first Emory swimmer to win the 1650. My sophomore year, my classmate Holly (Hinz) Kaufman was the first swimmer to win the 500 while I took 2nd place - just .15 seconds after her. Integral for team bonding were the Blue-Gold intersquad competitions and team camping and rafting trip each fall.
Q: How are you surviving the pandemic and how has it affected you?
SW: As an extrovert who generally prefers juggling multiple activities and friend groups and trips, this is certainly not ideal - but I am fortunate to live close to my family and have a secure job I can perform from my home. I have an intimate understanding of virtual conferencing platforms that I'd never anticipated... Zoom happy hours are not infrequent, let's be honest.
Q: Any interests/hobbies or things you do to relax when away from work?
SW: Pre-COVID, I was in a competitive karaoke league - a very real, very elaborate situation with singing and dancing and costumes and props and judges: www.districtkaraoke.com. Post-COVID, I've dabbled in crafts ranging from learning how to tile a bathroom mirror to building a cork-reef (many corks donated by others) to building a wall-mounted fountain to friendship bracelets!
Q: How did you begin your swimming career? How old were you?
SW: I first learned to swim around the age of 4 or 5 at the summer outdoor pool my family belonged to, taught by a combination of lifeguards and swim coaches. My first year on the team was the summer I turned 6 - which rapidly transitioned into year-round swimming with the Rockville Montgomery Swim Club.
Q: Any former teammates that you are in contact with?
SW: Sure - I've really appreciated Jon's efforts to hold alumni Zoom gatherings during the pandemic. It's really allowed me to reconnect with far more people from the team.
Q: Is there anything that you take from being a student-athlete into your profession?
SW: I think the competitive drive of an athlete translates well into career ambitions, as does the dedication needed to play the long-game, even when you're tired and need to overcome defeat(s).
Q: Any advice you would give Emory students/future grads?
SW: You are set up to succeed - trust yourself and don't get in your own way. There are many paths to both your immediate next step and what you envision as your final goal, and you don't need to totally know the entire route in order to get to the destination.
Samantha White currently serves as the the Scientific and Public Engagement Branch Chief in the Office of Neuroscience Communications and Engagement at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland