Student Spotlight: NHS Senior Samantha Snyder Enjoys Leading Miller Speech Team

Writer  /  Matt Keating

Samantha Snyder enjoys being the president of the Noblesville High School Speech Team because it gives students a voice to discuss important issues that have an impact on everyone.

Snyder and her classmates recently participated in the National Speech and Debate Tournament, and she was pleased with the way her team performed. Snyder, a senior at Noblesville High School, has cherished her time with the Speech Team.

“We’re technically the Noblesville High School Team, but we’ve been affectionately known as Miller Speech since 2011,” Snyder says. “What I love most about the speech team is the platform we’re given as students to raise our voices. At Nationals, it was so inspiring to see other students my age using their speech to speak out against homophobia, gun violence, misogyny, racism and more. Knowing that there are other students out there who aren’t afraid to stand up for what’s right gives me hope for the future.”

Snyder says she and her family, which includes her dad, Jamie, her mom, Tammy, and her brother, Teddy, all love Noblesville. Snyder says she has been inspired by how Noblesville residents came together after the shooting last May at Noblesville West Middle School.

“I love the people who live here,” she says. “I love how supportive our community is. After the incident in May, it warmed my heart to see all of us come together. Not everyone here agrees with each other on certain topics, but we were still able to come together as one community and pull each other out of the darkness we faced.”

When Snyder isn’t busy with the Speech team, she’s involved with New Dimension (the varsity women’s show choir).

“I’ve been in that choir for three years now,” Snyder says. “I’ve been in show choir since seventh grade, and it’s a fun hobby where I get to let go and have fun on the stage. I’m also a leader for Cru Noblesville, which is a high school branch of Campus Crusade. Some friends and I started Cru in January of this year. It’s basically a group of students that meet every Monday night for a Bible study. We have games, snacks, drawings, stuff like that. It’s super fun.”

Snyder is also the photo editor for the Mill Stream, the school newspaper.

“This is my second year as the photo editor, and my third year on the staff,” Snyder says. “I joined the staff my sophomore year. Since I joined, I’ve found my passion, and I’ve had the honor of sharing my classmates’ stories.”

Snyder is also involved in global outreach with Horizon International, a non-denominational Christian ministry guided by their missions and vision to create a world of hope through African orphans.

“For the past five years, my mom and I have traveled on a team ranging from nine to 20 people to South Africa,” Snyder says. “We work with HIV/AIDS orphans and lead a Vacation Bible School or a purity retreat for teenagers.”

After she graduates from high school, Snyder would like to major in Photojournalism.

“I intend to be a photojournalist, so I hope to tell beautiful, moving stories through my pictures,” Snyder says. “One of my biggest passions is connecting with other people through relationships, and taking pictures is just one way I can connect with others. I love the power a good picture has.”


Student Spotlights are sponsored by Ivy Tech Community College and Kumon.

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