SOMA Living April 2022

MEET CHRISTINA SWARNS & AMINA

Photography by Jamie Meier

“I intentionally picked Maplewood because of the diversity of the community. I also felt the values perspective taught in the SOMS School District would be great for Amina!”, states Christina Swarns. Nine years ago, Christina and Amina moved from Washington Heights to Maplewood. “I could not imagine living anywhere else”, Christina mentions. Both mother and daughter enjoy the amount of space they have in their home, compared to their one bedroom apartment in Washington Heights. They also find it wonderful to have a backyard and local parks to enjoy green space! Christina just recently returned to commuting into NYC and down to Tribeca. She is the Executive Director of the Innocence Project. “When I started the job back in April 2020, we were only having Zoom meetings. Just recently I’m finally able to meet my staff face to face,” said Christina. “I love my job. There are no words to explain how extraordinary it is to exonerate an

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