Samantha Winkler

Samantha Winkler serves in higher education admissions and recruitment at a smaller college of music in Houston, a role she has held for a year and a half since 2023. Her responsibilities include planning student visit days, managing applications and communications, developing promotional strategies, and attending college fairs to represent the institution. Winkler earned her bachelor's degree in music from the University of Houston in 2020 and her master's in music from Northwestern in 2023. After initially pursuing a career as a symphony musician for about a year and a half following her graduate studies, she shifted to music administration for greater stability and now enjoys helping students while maintaining performance opportunities on the side. She previously taught private lessons for around 10 years. Among her achievements, Winkler restructured her department for improved efficiency, earning an early promotion, and created a week of welcome events leveraging student organizations to foster community. She attributes her success to hard work and perseverance, noting that luck plays a role but persistence and doing what one loves lead to positive outcomes. Winkler values building community and connection above all, cherishing time with family and the chance to organize events that help students feel at home.