Samantha Neyland was born in Fort Benning, Georgia to proud parents Joanne and Alan Neyland. As a military child, she has been fortunate to travel the world and live in Alabama; Louisiana; Madrid, Spain; Tokyo, Japan; and now Honolulu, Hawaii. Samantha moved to Hawaii only 15 months before winning the crown, making her win not only a personal victory but a victory for the military community as well. While there have been previous Teen USA titleholders who were military dependents, Samantha is the only one this year and uses that to encourage other military children to get involved in their local communities. Having been immersed in different cultures, backgrounds and ethnicities gives Samantha a greater respect for all types of people and the unique ability to represent them as well.