Coming Home to Help (A few things you didn't know about Dr. Sam)

Samantha Hillyer (’01) is the one person on campus who has been at the center of managing COVID-19 for Overlake. Dr. Hillyer stepped away from her family practice in May 2020 to provide support to her alma mater and serve as Health Director during this global pandemic.

From managing vaccination records for employees and students, and vaccination clinics for employees, overseeing health screenings and contact tracing, to putting in place policies and procedures to minimize the spread of the virus, Dr. Hillyer has been at the forefront of Overlake’s efforts. And while you know her from her work in this area, you may not know these other facets of Dr. Sam.

1. In high school (Overlake, class of ’01), she studied the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic. “For our big research paper, I chose the Influenza Pandemic of 1918. During Upper School I was mesmerized by medical non-fiction and it’s really all I wanted to read. Once I learned about the pandemic of 1918, I could not believe that no one talked about it. I wanted to learn everything I could about it and present it to my classmates. They knew how obsessed with medicine I was already back then. My friends used to call me Dr. Chan (my maiden name) on campus. Army even tells me that I used to gross my friends out on the soccer bus by telling them too much information about anatomy or diseases I had learned about in a lot of the pre-med intensive programs I attended. I even did my senior project with an Overlake parent who was a pathologist at the hospital, which absolutely made my senior year. Public health really became my passion and I even chose to attend USC just for its public health major through the Keck School of Medicine. If you had told me back then that I would be back on this campus during an actual pandemic, that would have absolutely blown my mind.” 
2. When able, she loves to spend time outdoors with her young family. “I love being outdoors whenever possible and honestly a lot of my love for that is rooted in my Overlake days. I sure loved outdoor ed. I was even on the first trip that Kent Renno ever led here. at Outdoor Project Weeks also stand out in my mind. I was just telling some students about my experience of not showering all week while rafting down the river in Moab, Utah and how memorable and bonding an experience like that can be. These are the unique experiences that really have stuck with me through the years. It is such a treat to come full circle and be able to lead outdoor education trips as an adult. My husband is a mountaineer and we love to take our boys out for adventuring as much as we possibly can. Whether it’s snowshoeing, snowboarding, rock climbing, backpacking, or hiking the trails, we just love being outside together and experiencing everything this beautiful state has to offer.”   
3. Started Overlake’s only cheerleading squad. “At the time, myself and a few friends were looking for a way to increase spirit. We were all athletes as well, but we knew school spirit and morale could use a boost at the time. Bob Bristol (retired faculty member) played a pivotal role in helping me form the program at Overlake. He even went so far as to help us hire an ex SeaGal to be our coach (Thank you so much Bob!) We dove in feet first, learned how to cheer, learned choreography, and we even traveled to UCA sleepaway cheer camp with other teams to learn how to be the best we could. It was a lot of fun. I made a lot of new friends outside my grade and we had a great time cheering on the Owls at basketball games and performing stunts at halftime.”   
4. She is an awesome baker. “I love to bake but baking and decorating cakes specifically is my baking love. I started a few years ago as a late-night hobby and I have really tried to hone my skills since then. I taught myself everything I know just by watching videos and seeing photographs of techniques I wanted to try and then just going for it. I have always loved being creative, and the challenge of cakes really excites me, and often frustrates me all at the same time. I have baked a number of them for people on campus and am always up for a new celebration to try and create a new idea to grow my skills.”   
5. She has been acting since the age of four. “When I was little, I started out as a model and shot several ads, which then became a side hobby my entire life. As a child I also went to acting school and really dove into musical theater for several years. I have extremely fond memories of my time in plays here at Overlake. I think I did every single play I possibly could squeeze in during my time here. There are some entertaining photographs of those shows hanging in Fulton still. I remember being in the first show that Erin Gabriel worked on with Sarah Fitzpatrick. What a fun time that was and wow if you could all see the small barn stage we worked with... some of my most fondest memories here. After Overlake, I continued acting and have shot a number of commercials and small parts in films. I have also been on the box of three board games. It’s just a fun outlet to be creative and use my brain in another way.”