Christina Sampsonis ’90 – We Thank You for Your Service!

It was a true honor for us to meet recently with Fenwick alum Christina Sampsonis from the Class of 1990. Christina, or “Sammy” as her Fenwick classmates know her, spent 23 years serving our country at many different levels, in myriad locations, through varied medical roles. Before enrolling in the service, Christina attended Boston University where she earned her BS in Health Science and her MS in Physical Therapy. Later, at Northeastern University, she completed her Physician’s Assistant degree. 

According to Christina, “I always had a desire to be in some form of uniformed service.” Upon graduating from Northeastern University’s PA program, she sought an opportunity to enlist in the Army Reserve. There was a critical need for providers at the time and being recruited was quick and easy.  She told us that it was a great way for her to pay some student loans, buy some furniture, and serve in uniform. “I was first stationed at Fort Jackson in South Carolina, and while there the tragic 911 attacks took place. I remember that day so vividly. Fighter jets at Shaw AFB were mobilizing; the sound of them firing up changed everything from that day forward”, said Christina. Following her time at Fort Jackson, Christina transitioned into the Air National Guard as a Physician Assistant and was stationed at Otis Air Force Base, Cape Cod, MA.

During her time at Otis Air Force Base, Christina was deployed to Iraq; during Operation Iraq Freedom. While there she was assigned to trauma services working in an austere environment comprised of tented structures otherwise known as an Expeditionary Medical Support System (EMEDS). According to Christina, “The base, and specifically the location of the hospital, became known as Mortaritaville. We took so much incoming that they stopped counting/tracking how many mortars/rockets hit on a daily basis.”

Upon Christina’s return from Iraq, she was presented with an opportunity to serve as a full time Air National Guard member working as the 1st Civil Support Team’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Physician Assistant. This team is comprised of both army and air assets consisting of 22 personnel working in the areas of Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Detection. Chistina was the first female Physician Assistant ever assigned to this unit. She served with this unit for 13 years, and during that time played a major role at various public safety venues, including the Boston Marathon bombing.

Christina retired from military service in 2023. During her time with the service, her career path went from Second Lieutenant, to First Lieutenant, then Captain, to Major, and lastly retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel from the Air National Guard U.S. Air Force.

When asked to reminisce about her time at Fenwick, Christina shared many great stories. “I loved my European Culture class with Mr. Henry. It was that class and during summer softball camp that Coach/Mr. Henry started calling me ‘Sammy’. That nickname has been with me ever since,” according to Christina.

When asked about the skills she learned at Fenwick that have helped her throughout life, Christina reflected, “I learned to have an openness and understanding for different religions and beliefs and found this incredibly helpful and beneficial during all my work in medicine and in the Armed Services.” During our closing few minutes Christina shared this thought for today’s current Fenwick students, “Try everything from sports, arts, chorus, student government… all of it! Give it a chance and explore the ‘new’, the ‘different’. Meet people you otherwise might not interact with while at Fenwick, and don’t let others dictate what you want to try or do. You only go this way once, so make it count; make it the best experience possible!”

Thank you, Christina, for sharing your story with us, and for sharing so much of your life helping to defend our country!