For Sammy, the third year is a charm.

"This year, I probably feel the most comfortable – just in my own skin," she says.

But as one of the younger girls on the squad, she still feels like a rookie sometimes.

"I just have to keep reminding myself that my first year, I looked up to Kaiti a lot and she was a third year – so, I'm sure the rookies are looking up to me the same way."

She recently started teaching dance classes. And as a new instructor, she's got some younger girls looking up to her now.   

"I teach six to eight-year-olds ballet, tap, and jazz. They're so much fun. They don't really know what they're doing – so right now, I'm just trying to make them comfortable in their own skin."

She also teaches hip-hop for 13 to 18-year-olds.

"It's kind of opening a new door for them and a new side of dance that they've never been able to do before."

Along with becoming an instructor, she's also become a mentor.

"They're not going to remember every single dance step you taught them. They're going to remember how you made them feel as a dancer and as a woman. So, that's my goal – to be uplifting and empowering for them."

A two-time titleholder in the Miss America Organization – in pageants, Sammy found a way to empower herself.

"I like the journey part of it because you're constantly bettering yourself with each pageant you do. There is always something you can work on. I never really saw that before in my first couple years competing, but now I'm starting to see – look where I used to be and look where I am now."

And where she is now?

She just finished second runner up for Miss Indiana USA after finishing in the top 15 last year.

It's not all about the crown, she says.

"Girls who don't win the title go on to get their dream job because they have the interview skills to achieve that."

Life is a collection of moments.

And one of Sammy's most special moments as a Colts cheerleader came a few weeks ago. During this year's Crucial Catch game, she was able to represent her mom, who she lost to brain cancer when she was just three years old.

"I shared my mom's story when I was speaking with the girls before the game. Girls who I've been dancing with for two or three years, they had no idea," she says. "It was really neat to be able to share about my mom and what I've learned from her and be able to encourage the girls that you're not a victim of your circumstance, you're always a symbol of hope, you're always able to push forward and strive to be the best version of yourself."

While performing on the field that day, she had her own Hail Mary.

"During one of our dances and our ending pose – that moment. If someone scores a touchdown and they praise God, it was one of those moments for me. I just felt God's presence."

She may not have all the answers, but she's fine with that.

This year, Sammy is appreciating the moments.

She's striving to discover more about who she is, put all the pieces together, and work towards becoming the woman she knows she was meant to be.