Samantha Keene Anderson | |
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Born | Samantha Keene Andersion December 12, 1997 |
Education | Virginia Tech Loyola University Baltimore |
Beauty pageant titleholder | |
Title | Miss United States 2021 Miss United Universe 2023 Miss Teen Arizona 2014 |
Years active | 2014–present |
Major competition(s) | Miss United States 2021 (Winner) |
Samantha Anderson (born 1997) is an American beauty pageant titleholder from Chandler, Arizona, who was crowned Miss United States 2021. [1] [2] She is a Montessori teacher [3] and an advocate for women in aviation. [4]
Anderson grew up in the Ahwatukee Foothills in Phoenix, Arizona. She attended Grace Community Christian School in Tempe [5] and Desert Vista High School in Phoenix. [6] Her father, Sherman, was a veteran of the war in Vietnam. [7] [8] Anderson was orphaned in 2014 when both of her parents were killed in a plane crash. [7] Anderson's mother, Sherry, was one of the first female pilots to fly for a commercial airline [4] and was a member of the International Society of Women Pilots (ISA-21). [9] Anderson's mother also competed in pageants as a teen. [9] Anderson won the title of Miss Teen Arizona (National American Miss) just two months after her parents' deaths.
After her parents' death, Anderson became an advocate for diversity in aviation. [10] [4] As of 2024, Anderson works as a partner relations specialist at NEXTGEN Aviators by Dynamic Aviation, a nonprofit that promotes STEM education and technical careers through aviation. [11] [4] [12] Anderson identifies as LGBTQ [8] and is a member of the National Gay Pilots Association. [3] [13]
As of 2021, Anderson resides in Blacksburg, Virginia. [2]
Anderson earned a Bachelor's degree in Family and Consumer Sciences from Virginia Tech in 2019. [1] [14] [2] While at Virginia Tech, she was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. [14] She spend two years at Arizona State University before transferring to Virginia Tech. [8] Anderson earned a Master's Degree in Elementary Education and Montessori Studies from Loyola University Baltimore in 2020. [1]
Anderson previously held the title of Miss Teen Arizona 2014, Miss Virginia United States 2019, and Miss Virginia 2020 under the National American Miss (NAM) system. [5] She won the title of Miss United States in 2021. [1] In 2024, she was crowned Miss United Universe with a platform to advocate sustainable living and environmental stewardship. [15] [16]
Anderson was crowned Miss United States on October 10, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. [17] [18] During her year as Miss United States, Anderson attended events promoting Girls in Aviation [11] [19] and she traveled over 80,000 miles during her reign. [8]