Christina Johnson's Remarks

Christina Johnson, Associate Director, Purchasing

Hello. I'm Christina Johnson. President Beilock, I'd like to welcome you to Barnard on behalf of the staff. Officially, I've been a member of the staff here for thirteen years-currently in the Purchasing department-but, really I grew up on this campus. My mother, Lorrin, started working here when I was three years old, as a part time teaching assistant in the Biology department.  But even before I was born, Barnard was drawing me in. My late father Philip, an electrician, worked on the construction of both Altschul and Plimpton.

I have fond memories of being a kid on this campus, playing on parts long gone - like Altschul Plaza or McIntosh bowling alley, with people who are also long gone but still here in spirit. I'm on, I suppose my fourth Barnard President and I've seen the construction of Sulzberger Tower, Cathedral Gardens, the Diana center, and now the Milstein center.

While I temporarily defected to NYU for my undergraduate degree, lured by co-ed education and downtown living, I still came to campus, under the guise of visiting my mother, to the embrace of Barnard.  Being here most of my life gave me a wealth of role models and mentors who are still part of my life. I first met Maria Rivera Maulucci, professor and chair of the Education program, when she was a student and my mother's teaching assistant. In any other place, that might have been the end of our story but Maria was also my 7th grade math teacher and remains a close family friend.

Barnard has always been an extended family for me and, President Beilock, I hope, and believe, you'll find that too.  Remember to leave a few extra minutes to get around campus because inevitably you'll run into someone in the halls and stop to chat... and not just about work. Two of my best friends are Barnard alums, who also worked here a few years after graduation. I regularly keep in touch with former colleagues all over the world, in Los Angeles and Chicago, Cambridge and Paris, whether they have moved on to new opportunities or happily settled into retirement. After catching up on family and life, the conversation inevitably turns to Barnard.

We are all here to support the students in the best way we can, with engaging faculty and committed staff. I hope that we can help you continue to make Barnard a unique learning environment for young women. Thank you.