She was born July 10, 1979, in Georgetown, Guyana, to Edward Thomas and Everette Stanford-Thomas, the 5th of eleven children. Her father was a Chief Prison Officer in Guyana. Her mother was self-employed. 

She attended Pavillion Nursery, then Went on to attend St. Thomas Moore Primary. Finally, she attended St. George’s High School and graduated in 1996. Samantha began her career in the business field; she first worked at Federal Management Systems. She was an active member in her church Christian Covenant Ministries. Samantha would take part in worship sessions, and she sang at various events.

Her interests included family, singing, teaching math, and Sunday School. She devoted much of her time and energy as a tutor and babysitter to kids.