Working in education was always a goal of Samantha Lambert's. She comes from a family of educators, so her parents instilled the importance of education in her from an early age.

"When an opportunity was made available for me to join the campus community, I jumped on it right away," she said. "My great aunt, Dr. Maxima Dandoy, was a professor here at Fresno State in the School of Ed for many years, and Fresno State was an important part of her life. So, for me to be able to work for the School of Ed also had special meaning for me."

After working in accounting for the Fresno County Sheriff's Office for nearly 14 years, Samantha was ready for a career change. She started on campus two and a half years ago as an administrative support coordinator in the Educational Leadership Department. She has a B.S. in business administration, with a human resource management option.

Samantha currently works as an administrative analyst/specialist for the John D. Welty Center for Educational Policy and Leadership, which is housed in the Kremen School of Education and Human Development.

Besides the amazing people she works with, her favorite thing about her position is being part of a team that works with educational leaders to improve program quality in educational communities, with the goal of eliminating the achievement gap for students in the Central Valley.

"The work that our team does is truly phenomenal," she said.

In addition to her work on campus, Samantha has been serving on the Fresno State Staff Assembly Executive Committee for two years.

Her hobbies include teaching High Fitness on campus and at local gyms.

"I first discovered High Fitness one year ago and was instantly hooked," she said. "High Fitness brings a modern twist to old school aerobics."

High Fitness consists of easy-to-follow choreography, with plyometric-type interval training moves (like burpees and jumping jacks), as well as full body toning moves.

"After my second class, I knew that it was something that I was meant to teach," she said. "I became a certified instructor in August 2018."

In one year of doing High Fitness, Samantha lost a little over 50 pounds.

"While I've enjoyed losing weight, High for me has been more about what I have gained," she said. "I have gained more confidence and motivation, plus I have met some of the most amazing and inspiring people in my fellow instructors and class participants."

Samantha is married and has four daughters: Kylee, 15; twins Ryanna and Alexia, 13; and Aubrey, 7.

She and her family have two cats, Oliver and Moosey.