Hi, this is the first blog here on the Sam & Friends site. I thought I would talk a little bit about myself and explain how I got to where I am today.

I was born and raised in NYC. In Brooklyn, you could find me watching Animal Planet, playing Pokemon, reading animal books, catching fireflies in the summer, pigeon watching at the park, caring and playing with my gerbils, collecting snails, and digging for worms in the springtime. I was very fortunate because a ten minute walk to the right would take you to the salt marsh/nature center and a 10 minute walk to the left would take you to Kings Plaza mall. What’s more to want?

My love for animals reached all aspects of my life. In the 5th grade, I told my parents that I was going to be vegetarian. This year will be the 11th anniversary of me going vegan! In my college years, I was a very active animal activist. Even though I am no longer protesting on the streets and going to demonstrations, I do see the work I am doing now just as significant.

Ever since I was little, I thought I was going to be a veterinarian but I ended up going to Hunter College and getting a BA in psychology. I had the intention of studying animal behavior and doing research. After, I graduated and had a hard time finding a job I found myself teaching at an after school program. There I found a love for teaching and I got to teach about what I loved the most: animals. Soon after, I got a job with the Art Farm NYC as an Animal Science Outreach Educator. There I was able to take real live animals to different schools across NYC and teach children. This job also enabled me financially to take in and care for more of my own animals.

Now I am trying to grow my own business, Sam & Friends with the mission to teach compassion and make the world a better place for animals. I chose that name because at the core of everything we do here… that’s just what it is, a girl and her animal friends.

Thank you for reading ❤