Samuel Mumford Jr. was born October 6, 2001 in Baltimore, MD. Since the age of five, Sam’s paternal grandmother has raised him due to the unfortunate circumstances of his parents. Sam’s grandmother instilled discipline, respect, and hard work into him as she believed these qualities would lead to his becoming successful, but more importantly, a man of integrity.
Sam began his pursuit of academic excellence at Mount Royal Elementary/Middle School. During his summer years of elementary school, Sam participated in Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth where his interest in math and science first developed. At Mount Royal, Sam was in the Ingenuity Project, an advanced science and math program, where he received recognition for his hard work in the classroom. Sam also began to express his athletic interest at Mount Royal, playing flag football, basketball and running track and field.
In middle school, Sam participated in Middle Grades Partnership, a summer enrichment program at McDonogh School. The decision to attend McDonogh for high school was not Sam’s, but rather his grandmother’s. Although it was against his wishes, going to McDonogh turned out to be one of the most important decisions of his life. Initially, Sam had difficulties transitioning into such a drastically different community, but through time he adjusted and became comfortable within the community. McDonogh granted Sam the chance to interact with a diverse selection of people and the opportunity and resources to fully express his academic interests. Sam maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout high school, consistently being named to the Dean’s List, and was a Questbridge College Prep Scholar and Questbridge National College Match Finalist. Outside of the classroom, Sam was a leader of Sankofa (McDonogh’s Black Awareness Club) and captain of the track and field team for two years.
Sam will attend the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School where he will study Business Analytics. After college, he plans to become an entrepreneur in an effort to bring opportunities and jobs back to the diminished communities he has passed through. Providing people with the opportunity to better themselves is Sam’s way of giving back.
