Samantha Keene Anderson
Samantha Anderson is an American beauty pageant titleholder from Chandler, Arizona, who was crowned Miss United States 2021. She is a Montessori teacher and an advocate for women in aviation.
Personal life
Anderson grew up in the Ahwatukee Foothills in Phoenix, Arizona. She attended Grace Community Christian School in Tempe and Desert Vista High School in Phoenix. Her father, Sherman, was a veteran of the war in Vietnam. Anderson was orphaned in 2014 when both of her parents were killed in a plane crash. Anderson's mother, Sherry, was one of the first female pilots to fly for a commercial airline and was a member of the International Society of Women Pilots. Anderson's mother also competed in pageants as a teen. Anderson won the title of Miss Teen Arizona just two months after her parents' deaths.After her parents' death, Anderson became an advocate for diversity in aviation. As of 2024, Anderson works as a partner relations specialist at NEXTGEN Aviators by Dynamic Aviation, a nonprofit that promotes STEM education and technical careers through aviation. Anderson identifies as LGBTQ and is a member of the National Gay Pilots Association.
As of 2021, Anderson resides in Blacksburg, Virginia.