Having ridden horses ever since she could, it is no wonder Samantha Carter is going to pursue a degree in veterinary science with a focus on equine studies.

"I've been riding horses since I was young. It's an interest that was promoted by my grandparents and I really enjoy it," said Samantha, who will be attending Becker College in Worcester, Massachusetts. Samantha will also be taking classes at Becker's second campus in Leicester, Mass. And the Becker College Equestrian Center is located in Paxton, Mass., just north of Leicester.

"Becker has a great record of helping students get into post-graduate studies," said Samantha, who visited the school on an overnight stay last fall. "Plus they have field hockey in the fall."

Samantha, who feels her AP Biology class at Boothbay Region High School has prepared her well for her college focus, said her overall BRHS experience has taught her to "work well with others and provided me with a chance to learn leadership qualities."

A leader she is, as she and 2015 graduate Nicole LaBrecque were instrumental in getting the BRHS swim team up and running again by recruiting swimmers. Besides four years of swimming in the winter and four years of playing Seahawk field hockey in the fall, Samantha has kept busy in the spring as well while participating on the BRHS track and field team. She also played indoor field hockey during her high school years.

She said she will miss the support and closeness of the community when she leaves in the fall, mostly because "everyone here knows your name."

When asked about providing advice to the BRHS undergraduates, she said rather quickly, "Try your hardest all four years because all four years count."

Asked if she wanted to say anything to her BRHS teachers or the administration, she simply said, "Thank you for teaching me."

Samantha is the daughter of Mark and Paulette Carter. They live in East Boothbay, along with four horses, which came from her grandparents' farm in Michigan. One of the horses, "Fire," is about to be put in Samantha's name so she legally owns him.

"My dad wanted her to have a horse born on his farm," said Paulette. "When my dad passed away in 2006, we brought Fire and two other horses back from Michigan." The fourth horse was a gift to Paulette from her Dad a few years earlier.