Samantha Hill, 36

Originally, Samantha Hill wanted to be a mortician. How ironic considering her lively personality is infectious, a people-person trait tracing back to Keene High School when she immersed herself in academics and after-school activities. From Teens for Christ to an informal LGB club — "before the TQ and the plus came along," she quips — working with fellow teens cultivated her sense of community and brought her personality to life. That hasn't changed. Today, Hill, 36, is the youth and teen director at the Keene Family YMCA, a position created less than two years ago and a challenge she eagerly accepted. Helping steer youths and teens in a positive direction in their lives is her passion. And she brings along her sense of humor. "Little kids love the purple hair; teens think I'm pretty lame," she says with a laugh. Kelly Fleuette, senior program director at the Y, calls her "a rock star." She says Hill has flourished in a one-person department that requires multitasking and understanding a wide range of age groups. "She has been instrumental in fostering collaborations and volunteering with various community organizations, extending her commitment beyond the YMCA," Fleuette wrote in her nomination letter for Hill. Working at the Keene Y has been a mainstay through much of Hill's life, as she was there for a decade before trying other ventures. Hill approaches her experiences as a life-discovery journey that has brought her back full-circle to the Y. But you need to take a deep breath to review the full scope of her life, the hits and misses, the number of activities she's involved in, even her occasional alter ego. On select days and evenings, Sam Hill steps aside for Jinx. That's her adopted name as a member of the Monadnock Knockers roller derby team out of Antrim and, yes, she wears No. 13. She's been roller skating since childhood, though she admits roller derby is a different animal. "I'm terrible, just awful, I'm still learning the basics," Jinx says. "It's an amazing group of women that are so dedicated to positive relationship-building." At the Y, Hill works closely with numerous organizations in the community. She's dedicated to empowering youths to make healthy life choices, something she's done in her own life since she was a student. "I didn't party in high school," Hill says. "I was very mindful at a young age." She's the only daughter of Nancy and Corey Hill; she has a biological brother, Zachary, and two adopted brothers, Gabe and Kaden. Having attended 13 schools before landing in Keene as an 8th-grader, adapting and thriving in changeable environments became natural to her. She's also engaged, having proposed to longtime partner Andy Grissom in a corn maze in October. They are planning an October 2025 wedding. A straight-A student in high school, she eventually traded her mortuary vision for a career in teaching, graduating from Claremont Technical College (now River Valley Community College) and Keene State College. She earned an associate's degree in education and worked as a substitute teacher in every Keene school, elementary to high school, except for Franklin. "But it was not for me," she says of teaching. "I'm very passionate about English and thought the kids would be too — they are in advanced level courses but not across the board and I had a hard time with that." She worked full-time at the Y through her 20s before accepting the position as director of the Chesterfield Parks and Recreation Department in 2018. She stuck it out for three years but it was never a good fit. "It was the hardest job I've ever done," she says. "But it also helped become resilient and I knew I could do this if I ever wanted to come back." Seeking something entirely different, she joined the staff at the Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Hospital in South Deerfield, Mass., as an assistant and inventory specialist. She admired the staff its commitment to animals — "they treated me excellent" — but the daily heartbreak she witnessed was difficult to stomach. She took the summer of 2022 off as a mental health break. It allowed her to travel, and she made the most of it, taking trips from Ireland to the Cape. Eventually, she got a call from Fluette, who offered her the choice of two jobs if she would return to the Y: her old position and the newly created youth and teen director. Being in charge of a new program appealed to her. Hill hit the ground running on several fronts, including building the Y's popular Teen Nights Out program and growing the fledgling YouthFest. About 15 to 20 teens showed up that first month to partake in Teen Nights Out. With Hill organizing it, the second outing drew 50 teens, the third 208. The program is now a year-and-a-half old and hugely popular. Hill is also pursuing becoming a certified teen mental health first aid instructor, "showcasing her deep commitment to addressing mental health issues within the community," Fleuette wrote. She's also involved in teaching kids how to skateboard in the summer and snowboard (at Mount McIntyre in Manchester) in winter. Hobbies include a love for game boards — she got nine new ones for Christmas — arts and crafts and a love of reading. Although she can't have children biologically herself, she's long since accepted it and turns it into a positive. "The way I look at it, I can give kids 100 percent of myself [in my job] and I get a lot of satisfaction from that," she says. "It's what I love to do."