JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Many know Samantha Hall because she got her start in the Capitol as an intern for Reps. Nate Walker. Since moving to Jefferson City, she has ventured forth to the bureaucratic side, working as a legislative research assistant for the Department of Higher Education.
Unfortunately, Hall started her higher education studies at the University of Kansas – but only because of their architecture department. Fortunately, she finished her studies in linguistics at Missouri’s own Truman State University, which is not far from where she grew up in Northeast Missouri.
Not many who are raised in NEMO can claim to be well traveled, but Hall has visited Australia, Spain, Germany, Ireland, France, and Mexico. Hall absolutely adored her adventures in Australia, which occurred while she was in high school.
One of her funniest stories regarding her time in Australia was when a tour bus she was on was pointing out the wild kangaroo…and then pointed out that they had hit a kangaroo.
“Kangaroo are like deer there,” Hall says, reminding us not to fret.
Her career in Jefferson City has been as adventurous as her travels. Her start in bureaucracy was when she met Dr. Jon Hagler while she was giving tours as an intern for the House.
“What do you do when you see someone you recognize? You go up and you say ‘hi!’” Hall said.
Soon after meeting Hagler, she interviewed with him and the person he had in mind for her to replace. She left her internship to start working as an LA for Rep. Steve Lynch before she started working for the Department of Agriculture full-time.
Though she learned very much at her position with the Department of Agriculture, she is enjoying her new position, which regularly brings her back to the Capitol for committee hearings and to see many of her former colleagues – about whom she could never say a bad word about.
She enjoys spending her free time with her boyfriend and her two adorable and fluffy cats (Frou-Frou and Mr. Tubs), as well as enjoying Disney movies.
Rachael Herndon was the editor at The Missouri Times and also produced This Week in Missouri Politics, published Missouri Times Magazine, and co-hosted the #MoLeg podcast. She joined The Missouri Times in 2014, returning to political reporting after working as a campaign and legislative staffer.
Rachael studied at the University of Missouri – Columbia. She lives in Jefferson City with her husband, Brandon, and their two children.
