Originally from Williamsburg, Virginia, Sam is a curious designer who values the way that landscape can connect with communities and believes that designers carry a responsibility to authentically curate intimate everyday experiences. Sam explored these ideas of understanding place through her senior thesis which investigated the intersections of the Mississippi River and blues music both as culture and form as they exist within the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta.

Sam received her Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from Virginia Tech, where she received an ASLA Merit Award, Community Engaged Book Award, and Faculty Book Award for exceptional contributions to the program. Prior to joining MVVA in 2021, Sam worked at the Polly Hill Arboretum in West Tisbury, Massachusetts, the Virginia Tech Community Design Assistance Center in Blacksburg, and 3North Architects in Richmond, Virginia. Sam joined MVVA in 2021.