"My
Liberator has come in handy in various situations, in college especially, and
has enabled me to begin working as a consultant in Texas and New Mexico,"
says Samantha Reid from Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Samantha is proud to be a parent to her five-year-old daughter, Teresa. "She is the most perfect work of art there is, and I had the privilege of being part of creating this person," she enthusiastically expressed. Samantha is grateful to friends and family for supporting her through a very long and exhausting divorce and custody battle, especially her parents and sisters. Presently, Samantha and her daughter are living with her parents, but it is her number one priority to buy a house where she and her daughter can live as a "normal" family. She says, "Even though I have my daughter with me, one never overcomes the challenge of parenthood or proving oneself to be a fit parent, much less an "able" individual despite having a disability."
For Samantha to achieve her goal of having a house and everything that goes with it as far as special needs, she realizes that she must become a productive citizen with a full time job. Over the years, Samantha has been a spokesperson on behalf of augmentative communication. She has appeared on the Talnet education channel. In addition to having presented at several conferences and workshops and working with individuals, she spoke at a conference held for the Department of Energy and Sandia National Laboratory employees to persuade them to utilize some of their technology to develop more augmentative communication systems. Educational Service Centers also contract with Samantha to do some consulting in assistive technology, which she enjoys very much.
Samantha's major is Mass Communication with a double major in Spanish. Due to circumstances, Samantha has not completed her communication and Spanish degrees yet, but plans to at some point. Samantha's education has always been a very important part of her life. "By the time I was in high school, I was fully integrated. I was a member of the National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, and won the Excel Scholarship to the University of New Mexico," she stated. Not only is Samantha a smart and outgoing individual, she also ran and was elected into the prom court her senior year in high school. She has always led a very normal life and has had the freedom and opportunity to experience many different things and feels fortunate for that. Samantha considered trying her hand at modeling at one point, but now as a parent and grown woman, she looks toward a fulfilling and stable career path.
For fun, Samantha enjoys traveling by herself and with friends and loves the great outdoors. One of the most eventful trips she experienced was when she went to Las Vegas. "I had plenty of time alone to think, re-group and to experience things alone such as gambling and touring the strip." If money were no object, she would love to book her daughter and herself a flight to Greece and visit Italy, among other places." Samantha likes to learn about cultural things on a global level and is open to experiencing new and different things.
Samantha says that if the right man comes her way that would be great. But, if it does not happen, she would find contentment in being a single working parent.
Profiles of Success - Samantha Reid