PERSON: Samantha Fuentes
Employer
March For Our Lives
Position
Board Member
Biography
Samantha Fuentes calls herself an accidental activist. And although it may not have been something she would have chosen for herself, thank God she is. Fuentes is a survivor of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Fla., where she suffered traumatic injuries — including bullet shrapnel permanently embedded in her legs and behind her right eye and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). And yet despite these tragic events, Samantha is resolved and committed to a poignant mission: to make sure that no child or adult is devastated by senseless and preventable gun violence ever again.
Samantha’s passion for this cause is focused and strong. She spreads her message daily by sharing her personal story, which starts well before facing down the barrel of an AR-15. Often bullied by her peers, neglected by her father and abused by her stepfather, childhood was stormy for Samantha. From early on, her single mother taught Samantha to be fiercely independent — never stopping to acknowledge her suffering or ailments. With trauma and mental illness running rampant in her family, Samantha’s eyes were opened to their emotional impacts at an early age.
Today, Samantha is a board member and one of the original members of March for Our Lives, an organization founded after the shooting at Parkland for Gun Violence prevention. In addition, she works with Sandy Hook Promise and travels and works with neighborhoods affected by gun violence — expanding the survivor network. She is also a screenwriter for a film that has not been released yet.
Samantha’s life experiences have tasked her to champion the importance of human rights and equality—being a victim of gun violence only further bolstered her purpose. Her perspective is straightforward: to uplift the voices of the silenced and remind us that ALL our experiences matter regardless of color, religion, gender, age or sexual orientation.
Samantha wants to rally bystanders to participate in change when they witness injustice because anything is possible in numbers. Even if the odds are low and risks are high, if Samantha still has a powerful voice, anyone can find and use theirs!
>> American Program Bureau, Inc.
Samantha’s passion for this cause is focused and strong. She spreads her message daily by sharing her personal story, which starts well before facing down the barrel of an AR-15. Often bullied by her peers, neglected by her father and abused by her stepfather, childhood was stormy for Samantha. From early on, her single mother taught Samantha to be fiercely independent — never stopping to acknowledge her suffering or ailments. With trauma and mental illness running rampant in her family, Samantha’s eyes were opened to their emotional impacts at an early age.
Today, Samantha is a board member and one of the original members of March for Our Lives, an organization founded after the shooting at Parkland for Gun Violence prevention. In addition, she works with Sandy Hook Promise and travels and works with neighborhoods affected by gun violence — expanding the survivor network. She is also a screenwriter for a film that has not been released yet.
Samantha’s life experiences have tasked her to champion the importance of human rights and equality—being a victim of gun violence only further bolstered her purpose. Her perspective is straightforward: to uplift the voices of the silenced and remind us that ALL our experiences matter regardless of color, religion, gender, age or sexual orientation.
Samantha wants to rally bystanders to participate in change when they witness injustice because anything is possible in numbers. Even if the odds are low and risks are high, if Samantha still has a powerful voice, anyone can find and use theirs!
>> American Program Bureau, Inc.
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