Born In North Carolina, Samantha found her way to Hollywood via San Diego, California, via Bangor, Maine.
She played the role of 'Stacy' in the '92 Polygram Film "Summer Camp", then booked a bit part in "The Brady Bunch" movie.
In '95, she landed her first big television gig as a 4 year series regular on "Saved By The Bell: The New Class"(1993) playing the fiesty 'Maria Lopez'.
In 2001 she worked with oscar award-winning Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, and Cliff Curtis, in the feature film Training Day (2001), playing the pivotal role of 'Letty'.
In 2005 she played another caracther called Letty, a secondary role as Christian Bale's girlfriend in Harsh Times (2005).