Sam Elbahja (Architecture, 2022)
During her time at Trinity Hall, Sam was a recipient of the Cambridge Bursary along with other awards.
“The bursary was instrumental in supporting the creative development of my architectural work. I used the funds primarily to purchase materials and supplies that allowed me to experiment freely and push the boundaries of my projects. Without financial restriction, I was able to create 1:1 material studies—including a life-scale kitchen fragment—which helped me explore themes of domesticity and multigenerational living in a tangible, embodied way.”
Along with studying architecture, Sam brought with her to Trinity Hall a love of poetry and performance. To mark Trinity Hall’s 675th Anniversary, Sam created an original work, The Wishing Well.
Image: ‘A Handmade Family’, 1:20 house model by Sam Elbahja
Sam Elbahja
The Wishing Well
My journey to Trinity Hall began with a wish — a quiet one at first, but full of hope. A dream of something more, not just for me, but for my family.
I’m Samira Elbahja — most people call me Sam. I grew up in Tower Hamlets, East London, and I carry it with me wherever I go. It’s more than just a postcode — it’s where my imagination took root. But like many of us who grew up in social housing, I knew what it meant for opportunities to live just out of my reach. At school, the idea of Cambridge felt like a fantasy. Something whispered about, never taken seriously.
But I’ve always been a dreamer.
One day, my form tutor said, “You’ve got nothing to lose by applying.” And so I did. Two interviews, two exams — and then the news came: I was going to study Architecture at the University of Cambridge.
But architecture wasn’t my only love. There was also poetry.
Trinity Hall gave me the space to grow, not just as a student, but as an artist. Whether I was writing in the Jerwood Library, pacing the Aula, or stretched out on Latham Lawn trying to push past writer’s block, I was surrounded by history and possibility.