JTC 25: Leader by Land, Adventurer by Sea

Samantha “Sam” Hendrix will graduate in May with confidence and leadership skills nurtured by the University of Mississippi and instilled by her mother, a pilot in the U.S. Air Force.

“If I’ve ever doubted myself, she’s made sure that I know that I can do anything I set my mind to because that’s how she was,” Hendrix said. “An obstacle is just an obstacle.”

The Dixon, California, native will earn a bachelor’s degree in integrated marketing communications with a minor in political science. She entered the university with an interest in international relations. Then, after tackling some journalistic-style writing in one of her first writing classes and realizing she was more creative than she had thought, she took some entry-level IMC classes.

“I took the leap and absolutely fell in love with it – all things marketing, communications, public relations,” she said. “I felt like there was always something for me to learn, and I could always be improving upon my skills.”

She said she especially enjoyed taking a campaign development class during her senior year because it draws upon everything she has learned. Also, she and her fellow videographers, graphic designers, photographers and copywriters presented their campaign – reframing AT&T to better appeal to Gen Z – at the district National Student Advertising Competition in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

“I’ve been working my butt off for my degree these past couple of years, and here’s the fruition of it, you know?” she said. “It’s all these amazing talents coming together to create this cool advertising campaign that we now get to go and pitch to a panel of judges.”

Hendrix also found where she belonged outside of class. Coming from so far away and not knowing anyone on campus, she decided to rush and said she was grateful to have joined Phi Mu sorority.

“No one in my family had ever gone through recruitment before,” she said. “I came in just being like, OK, cool, I want to make some friends and meet some people. From the second I stepped in my sorority house, I was like, wow, I truly feel loved here. I’ve met all of my best friends.

“Whenever I’m feeling down, our house mom is always a great shoulder to cry on. Our staff in the house are the best cooks ever. I’m going to miss their food so much when I graduate.”

Taking the Lead

Outside class, Hendrix has taken on several leadership roles at the university, including president of the UM chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America and captain of the Ole Miss Equestrian Team.

As PRSSA president, Hendrix has coordinated fundraisers and speakers for chapter meetings and flown to Anaheim, California, for the society’s national conference to network and hear from professionals from companies such as Disney and Apple.

“It was cool because most of them didn’t have a traditional path in their career,” Hendrix said. “They bounced around from different jobs and industries.

"It was inspiring and comforting knowing that I have this foundation, and my path is probably not going to be straight from A to B. I’m going to switch jobs and explore different industries.”

PRSSA’s faculty adviser, who has known Hendrix for the past three years, said she has seen her move up the leadership ladder.

“Sam always goes above and beyond, and her enthusiasm and perseverance are unrivaled,” said Amanda Sams, assistant professor of integrated marketing communications. “I have no doubt that she has an extremely successful career ahead, and it has been my privilege to get to have a front-row seat to her collegiate journey.”

As captain of the equestrian team, Hendrix coordinated practices in Olive Branch and meets at Georgia, Auburn and Mississippi State. She also helped with team morale in a sport where competitors would randomly draw a horse and get two minutes to warm up before jumping.

“If someone didn’t do so well in their ride, I’d cheer them up like, ‘OK, time for the next one, you’re going to do great,’” she said. “I’ve always loved that aspect of sports. If you don’t do well the first time, you can just get up and try again.”

Hendrix also interned for NASCAR, FedEx, Ole Miss football and the UM School of Business Administration. She said the business school internship, in particular, helped her develop her writing skills.

“I met Sam in the fall of 2022,” said Stella Connell, the school’s manager of marketing and communications. “Immediately, I was impressed with her interpersonal and writing skills.

“Over the past two-and-a-half years, she has proven to be an extraordinary fit and a great asset to the marketing team at the business school. She has written for social media and feature publications, provided us with great insights and been a tremendous member of our team.”

Semester at Sea

Hendrix put her passion for travel and adventure in action for Semester at Sea. She said she watched a YouTube video about the program when she was 10 or 11 and told her mom she would do it someday.

Sure enough, she went on the four-month voyage in spring 2024, traveling to 10 countries across Asia, Africa and Europe. The program allowed her to earn college credit while taking classes on topics such as U.S. foreign policy and oceanography aboard the ship.

Among her experiences, she visited the Taj Mahal, went on a safari in Kenya, rode a camel in Morocco and experienced rough seas in the Mozambique Channel during a cyclone.

She said she especially enjoyed watching athletes compete in tennis, volleyball and soccer at the Olympic-qualifier African Games in Ghana. After the competition, she and her friends couldn’t find a ride back to the ship, so they hopped on a random bus that ended up going to the athletes’ village.

“We got to talk to all these different athletes on the bus,” she said. “Eventually, we were able to get a ride home, but we were like, you know what, you have to get somewhere, so we might as well go wherever this bus is taking us, and we hopped on it and made friends and got to see a cool part of the city.”

Looking Ahead

Now that Hendrix is about to earn her degree, she plans to pursue a position in marketing and communications, ideally in the aerospace industry in Huntsville, Alabama.

She also hopes to see all the world’s wonders and, just as importantly, return to Ole Miss for sports events.

“I’ve always been a sports person, but I never had a sports team," she said. "Ole Miss is now my team. It’s nice to finally have a team that I can call my own.”

Top: Sam Hendrix, a California native and PRSSA president, is graduating from the university with a degree in integrated marketing communications after leading student organizations, interning with major brands and traveling the world through Semester at Sea. Inspired by her Air Force mom and fueled by campus connections, Hendrix is ready to launch a career in marketing with an eye on the aerospace industry. Photo by Srijita Chattopadhyay/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services

See more photos from Sam Hendrix's Journey to Commencement