West Johnston High’s Samantha Lam Named Media Specialist Of The Year

BENSON – Samantha Lam was recently named Johnston County Public Schools (JCPS) 2023 Media Specialist of the Year. Nominated by her colleagues at West Johnston High for the award, Lam received a resounding seven nods from her peers. Clearly, she is doing a lot of things right.

Lam began her journey with JCPS thirteen years ago when she attended a job fair and met the principal of West Clayton Elementary. She made her mark on the school community for seven years while her three children all attended the school. 

Then she moved over to West Johnston High, where she has been ever since. Lam loves that the high school is less than a mile away from her home. “I can hear the marching band from my house,” she said. Her children will attend West Johnston High too, creating another special memory for her.

Born in New Mexico, she moved with her family to Forsyth County, North Carolina in fourth grade. She attended East Carolina University earning a bachelor’s degree in social work, but wanted to do some traveling before heading straight into a career. So, she moved to Washington, D.C. to work for United Airlines as a flight attendant.

Then, an opportunity arose in Florida to work at a therapeutic residential program with at-risk youths ages 11 and 18, and Lam took it. She and the students lived in tents they built themselves. There was no electricity or plumbing, and water, cold water, came from a spigot. Beds were covered with mosquito nets, and they used lanterns and tiki torches to see at night. Essentially she lived outside for four years. A lot of great things happened during that time, one being that she met her husband, Larry, who was also a counselor. 

From Florida, they moved to Philadelphia, as Larry finished graduate school, and during this time, she and Larry got married and started their family. That’s when she met a principal at a Catholic school who needed a long-term substitute. She had never taught in a classroom before, but she fell in love with teaching, and subsequently taught 6th grade for three years. 

Lam knew she was ready to be closer to her family and her sister was living in Smithfield with her husband, who is a Johnston County native. She and her growing family decided to make it their home there too. 

One of Lam’s new neighbors was an elementary school librarian, and while she was on maternity leave with her second son she volunteered in the media center. That experience changed her trajectory. “I want to do that,” she said to herself, and went back to school, earning a master’s degree in library science. 

Her favorite thing about her role is being involved with all of the students from the time they are freshmen until they graduate. However, being a high school media coordinator is a stark contrast from the elementary school world. High school students don’t visit the library as part of their enhancements, so Lam had to think of ways to bring them to her. And she did just that!

She immersed herself in the school community and clubs, becoming involved in student government, fine arts, Battle of the Books, and the leadership retreat, just to name a few. One of Lam’s biggest undertakings was bringing back the Wildcats News after a one-year hiatus. Together, she and the students recreated the school news program to reflect the many cultures and activities of the school. 

Additionally, she decided to host events before school began, such as Yoga and trivia, both of which were a big hit. She even developed daily themes in the media center, such as Mindful Monday, Tuesday Trivia, and Fit Friday, for example.

One of the best things that has happened to Lam while at West Johnston was when a former student, who wasn’t into reading, began a book club at her university because of Lam’s influence. They continue to keep in touch, and she even recommends books for the club to read. “It feels really good,” she said of that fact.

Lam has a community service approach to the role. Anytime a teacher or student comes to her, she stops whatever is in front of her to focus on their needs. Until their needs are met, tasks take a back seat. Her social work background is the motivation behind creating a safe place for students and staff to go and decompress.

One of her nominators for Employee of the Year described Lam as “the connector”. “She brings students, staff, and community members together in ways that support our greater school environment,” they said. She wants her students and colleagues to know that they can come to her for anything.