USA College of Medicine mourns loss of third-year student Samantha Thomas

Students at the USA College of Medicine created a memorial at Hippocrates Park in honor of Samantha Thomas, a third-year student who passed away on Aug. 1.

Samantha Thomas is remembered by classmates as a ray of sunshine, a beautiful spirit with an ever-present smile, a brilliant mind with compassion to match, a nonjudgmental and supportive friend, and a strong young woman who overcame hardships and persevered in life.

“This weekend, we were notified of the tragic news that we lost one of our College of Medicine family,” said John Marymont, M.D., MBA, vice president for medical affairs and dean of the University of South Alabama College of Medicine. “Samantha Thomas, a third-year medical student, lost her life as a result of a car crash early Saturday morning. Our deepest condolences go out to her family, friends and classmates.”

The 24-year-old was just beginning her third year of medical school. During her time at the USA College of Medicine, Thomas served on the Honor Council and as secretary of the Anesthesiology Interest Group.

Throughout the week, as a memorial to Thomas, fellow medical students have left flowers, messages and decorated rocks at the foot of the Hippocrates statue on campus.

“Samantha was a fun, hard-working, intelligent and driven woman. She was a great friend and a great study buddy,” said Zack Aggen, president of the Class of 2022. “We would grind through material for hours and then out of nowhere she’d say something like, ‘Hey! Did you know …’ This invariably led to a decrease in motivation and often an impromptu trip around the pond on campus to see the fish, turtles and geese. Even though we'd eventually get distracted, she was brilliant and a great organizer. She helped me learn so much material.”

Aggen added, “Samantha had a huge heart. She would often go out of her way to help friends that were struggling even when she had difficulties in her own life.”

A native of Guntersville, Ala., Thomas graduated from Guntersville High School as valedictorian of her class. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Alabama.

In her free time, Thomas enjoyed water skiing, horseback riding, volleyball, hiking and reading.