For the Love of Golf - Alumni Heather '04 COB and Mike '04 Samp COAS-DB
Heather and Mike Samp met thanks to the matchmaking skills of his sister, Kristen Samp, then an LPGA professional golfer and Embry-Riddle winter volunteer golf coach, and her friend, ERAU women’s golf coach Maria Lopez.
From Augusta, GA, Heather transferred to ERAU in summer 2000 and became a member of the women’s golf team later that year thanks to meeting a member of the golf team through a mutual friend. Heather thought joining the golf team would be a great way to meet other women on campus since there were so few female students at that time.
Mike was attending the University of Kansas close to home in Lawrence, Kansas. In January 2001, Kristen convinced Mike to join her on a road trip from Kansas to Pennsylvania so he could caddy for her at a tournament and then they headed to Florida for Kristen to work with the golf athletes at ERAU. Once in Florida, Kristen and Coach Lopez coordinated a meet up for Mike and Heather at the driving range of the Oceanside Country Club in Ormond Beach. Mike shared that while Heather was “pretty focused” that day at the range, his sister prodded him to stay in touch with her and he did. They chatted via email through their AOL accounts. With Mike still living in Kansas, Kristen continued to encourage her brother to spread his wings and consider a transfer to ERAU in Daytona Beach, FL.
With the help of Coach Lopez, who guided Mike through the process academically and athletically, he successfully transferred to ERAU in fall 2001 and joined the men’s golf team with an athletic scholarship. Once they were both at ERAU, Heather and Mike shared many practices, study halls and early morning workouts, leading to a friendship that blossomed into a romance. Mike said they had such a great relationship that they entered into a AT&T cell phone plan together resulting in Daytona Beach numbers with 386 area codes. They had that plan from 2001 until recently (almost 20 years) and still have the same phone numbers.
When Heather initially started at ERAU, she thought she would be an airline pilot for one of the large commercial airlines and focused her studies on a degree in aeronautical science. She successfully got her instrument ratings, but found that she might not be able to afford to complete the program. Furthermore, she jokes that she wasn’t the best pilot; great at taking off, but not so great at landing. After that and a scare during a 3-stop cross-country flight, she decided to transfer to the College of Business and pursue a degree in Business Aviation Administration. When she graduated in 2004, she focused on jobs with commercial airlines.
Mike graduated in 2004 with a degree in Communications from the College of Arts and Sciences and initially stayed in Daytona to help coach golf at ERAU. Although Mike loved ERAU and golf, he loved Heather more and wanted to build a life with her. Mike accepted a job in Phoenix, AZ, at a golf company that sponsored his sister and called Heather to share the news. Although Heather applied and was offered a pricing analyst position at United in Chicago, with Mike moving to Phoenix, she decided to pursue the same position at America West Airlines (AWA) and was offered the job in March 2005. AWA and US Airways merged in fall 2005. After the golfing company Mike worked for went out of business, he accepted a position at US Airways as a strategic forecast analyst and started with them in Jan 2006.
Both Mike and Heather have built successful careers with the company, staying through mergers and progressing through varied positions. Heather is currently the Managing Director of Member Engagement for the AAdvantage Program and Mike is the Senior Manager of Manpower Planning.
Both Heather and Mike observed that they had numerous opportunities at ERAU that would not have been possible at any other University. Heather shared that they got to fly over the runway at Cape Canaveral and they got to see the Thunderbird jets up close on the tarmac and even got to touch one. She remarked that at 18 you could not rent a car, but you could rent a plane and remembers often hitching a ride with a fellow classmate to go home to Augusta, GA to visit family.
Married at Champions Retreat Golf Club in Evans, GA in 2007 – almost 10 years later in 2017 they welcomed their daughter, Graycen. Because of world events, Heather and Mike considered not having children but Heather’s mom asked her to consider the impact they could have on the future of the world as parents.
As Heather and Mike have built their life together, they have focused on work, play and home – in that order. When making the move from Arizona to the Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) area, Heather was offered a position that had a relocation package. After choosing a workable time to fly out to visit, they organized their home search by playing at various golf courses around town and then choosing a home according to the courses. Having found a great job, knowing they could maintain work-life balance with proximity to a sport they both loved was essential! Mike and Heather have also worked very hard to be debt free and are thankful that Mike’s father – a banker – was able to provide guidance in this area.
When asked what important takeaways they would share from their experience at ERAU, Mike shared two things, “First, typically it is a race to get out of college and find a job. But it is important to take a breath and sit back and enjoy college, it is a good gig. Second, after you have successfully started a career, don’t let life go by because you are so invested in work; remember to work hard and play hard.”
Heather shared three things, “First, I feel it is important in college to figure out your personal self and to be the best you. Second, enjoy life. And third, your short-term goal of what you want right now in your career may not be the best course of action. Know what you really want, be intentional and achieve it.”
Being a part of the athletic program at ERAU gave both Heather and Mike a sense of community and purpose – feeling that they were a part of something. Both expressed gratitude toward their coaches who supported them and helped them be better students and better people. Both feel very fortunate, feel strongly about giving back to ERAU and encourage others to pay it forward for the next generation of aviation leaders.
Heather and Mike support the golf program at ERAU through philanthropic gifts and support student athletes through mentorship. Heather is an inaugural member of the O’Maley College of Business College Philanthropy Council, investing in students and the innovation of student projects.