sammerrin

Biography

Sam Merrin, a high school computer lit teacher, majored in Education and minored in Public Relations at San Jose State University (SJSU). She soared through the CBEST test and graduated with her BA in the spring of 2003, but instead of teaching, she decided to try her hand at marketing. Since she had grown up in the California wine region and had garnered quite a bit of wine knowledge during that time, she resolved to apply for all of the open PR positions in Sonoma County. After interviewing for several brand name wineries and not being offered a position, she resorted to applying for and accepting a job at a small, family-owned vineyard. While working for Siduri Wines was rewarding for Sam Merrin, the position was far from what she had hoped to achieve in her career, and after two years, she was ready for a job change. She originally thought she would apply for a different type of PR position, but when a good friend mentioned some local schools were in need of teachers, she decided to apply. A Santa Rosa High School happened to be looking for someone with her background in web design and computation, a skill set she had perfect while promoting Siduri Wines, and she was offered a computer lit teaching position. Instructing young people has been one of the most rewarding jobs of her career, and she plans to continue teaching for years to come. When she is not teaching, Sam Merrin enjoys blogging, giving advice, dancing, reading, listening to music, pilates, and taking long walks. She is also extremely fond of foreign films and travel. She recently returned from a trip to Europe and hopes to make another excursion in the near future.

Interests

European travel, reading, wine, foreign film, sewing, pilates, and swing dancing

Music

Country, Swing, lite Rock, and smooth Jazz

Movies

Top Hat, North by Northwest, Sabrina, La Vite e Bella, the old black and white Beauty and the Beast ("Va, ou je vais!"), Moonstruck, Sleepless in Seattle, Top Gun, Charlie Wilson's War, etc.

TV Shows

West Wing (first 5 seasons), Lost, Heros, Dancing with the Stars, Scrubs (first 3 seasons), and The Office (seasons 2 and 3).

Books & Authors

Emily Dickinson, Henry Adams, Louisa May Alcott, Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, and Walt Whitman

Sports

Gymnastics, Ballroom Dancing, and Soccer