New ODA freshman, Samiii Stine, has a unique name and whimsical fun-loving spirit to go with it. Though her official name is Samantha, Samiii added three i’s to the end of her name each year since seventh grade. She says she just wanted  to be different than all the other “Sami’s.”

Stine was born in New York. At a young age, she moved to India for a year because her parents were running a publishing business there.  She attended the American International School of Chennai, where she says “There were lots of different people from different countries. However, my teacher was from Florida.”

After coming back from India, she attended Temple Beth Shalom Schools for five years in Sarasota. She says, “I liked [my old school] because it was a small school, and I could get lots of help from the teachers. It also forced me to talk in front of people and made me more confident in front of my class.”

When asked her thoughts about the school, Samiii gushes, “I love it!”

“ODA has a similar feel to Temple Beth Shalom Schools, and the staff is really nice. [Temple Beth] was a small school just like ODA,” says Stine.

Stine hopes to join the school musical this year to pursue her love for singing. She discovered this passion in eighth grade when she and her friend found they enjoyed singing duets together. Not only is Stine musically talented, but she volunteers at Selby Gardens and plays soccer as a part of the Sarasota Football Club team, a local soccer league. 

“The people at FC are nice. It’s challenging, but the coaches are supportive, and it is really rewarding when you do something right,” remarks Stine.

When she thinks about the future, she hopes to become an international relations lawyer in an Asian country, especially because she loves sushi and was impacted by the international experience of living in India for a year.

If you haven’t seen Stine around campus this week, you may have seen her mother,  the new chorus teacher, Mrs. Hoff. She describes her mother as “colorful.”

Welcome to the ODA family, Samiii!