In February 2018, Barnard hired its first female building superintendent, Plimpton Hall’s ambitious and inspiring Christina Mejia. (She is also, by the way, Barnard’s first openly lesbian building super.)
In person, Mejia exudes a smile-inducing warmth, a competence and charm that’s led Hall Director Meg McGuffin to call her “a rock star.” Public Safety Attendant Luz Ruyol describes the change in the building since Mejia’s arrival: “She’s brought a lot of uplift.”
To check out just how super Barnard’s new building super is, we followed her on move-in day, when she repaired a gas leak, diagnosed a busted elevator, resuscitated a done-for toilet, toted innumerable luggage carts down the building’s terraced front steps, and perhaps as importantly, won over scores of anxious parents. Luckily for the College, Mejia sees her mission and Barnard’s as the same: women’s empowerment. “I always wanted to be a super,” she says.
— Photos by Caitlin Ochs
