ow is it possible that rays of sunshine actually radiate through my monitor when I have Zoom meetings with our newest staff person, Sam Akers?

Sam joined Healthy Teen Network as Project Coordinator in early August and has been eager to learn, explore, and lead. She will focus mainly on training coordination and facilitation support; monitoring the implementation of youth advisory boards, youth-friendly services, and college-aged peer educators; and developing resources for two Office of Population Affairs (OPA) projects, True You Maryland and U Choose Community. You will see her during our fee-for-service trainings, too!

Her experience teaching sex ed, working with expectant and parenting young people at Together for Youth in Iowa, and supporting STI and pregnancy testing in school-based health centers will serve her—and our partners!—well.

Sam’s education and experience are a great addition to our projects and across the organization. Sam has a freshly minted master’s degree in social work from Washington University in St. Louis, and her experience teaching sex ed, working with expectant and parenting young people at Together for Youth in Iowa, and supporting STI and pregnancy testing in school-based health centers will serve her—and our partners!—well.

When Sam is not doing awesome work at Healthy Teen Network, you may be able to find her sipping iced coffee at a coffee shop or in a park, listening to music—her taste is super-diverse!—or, posting TikTok videos featuring Millie, her rabbit. (Hmmm, I wonder if there any rabbit-friendly coffee shops?!)

Welcome to the crew, Sam!