2025 Winners — Trainer & Samantha!

2025 American Heroes Dream Wedding Giveaway Winners

Samantha is a 3rd grade teacher at Madisonville Intermediate School. Her teachers largely impacted her as she grew up, so she decided to pursue teaching as a career. Samantha says, “I offer a safe place for my students every day just as my teachers offered me. I was once a little girl in a classroom with a dream, and I continue to remind my students that whatever their dreams may be, they can achieve them, and I will be there cheering them on.”

Trainer and Samantha are considered high school sweethearts. They went to the same school their entire lives. Being in a small town, everyone knew each other. Trainer and Samantha knew of each other but almost never interacted because of their different grade levels and the fact they were polar opposites. On a random Saturday evening, some of Samantha’s friends invited her to hang out after the game at Trainer’s house. That evening, Trainer and Samantha instantly clicked. They spoke the entire time and Trainer’s mother said that is when she knew Samantha was the one. They became best friends from that night on. Months passed of being just friends even though all their friends were pushing for more. They didn’t want to lose their friendship, so they were hesitant to take that step. Eventually, the time came when they both shared their feelings and they began dating in May of 2020. In 2024, they welcomed a baby boy into the world!

They are opposites in many ways with Trainer being a go-with-the-flow people person and Samantha being more reserved. Samantha says, “Trainer encourages me to not take things so seriously, let loose, and have fun. He is my daily reminder that everything does not always need a plan to be perfect like I may think.” Trainer and Samantha continue to fall in love every day and even more so as they take on this new role as parents together. They cannot wait to officially join together in marriage.