Calvin M. Swint

Principle, Swint Association

/ˈkæl.vɪn mɑɹˈkis swɪnt/ · TBD (To Be Determined) · Kingsbridge, Bronx, NY

My name is Calvin Markese Swint, and I come from a place where joy isn’t always guaranteed — but I carry it with me now like a badge of survival. — I was raised in Newark, New Jersey by a single mother with strength that could shake mountains. I only spoke to my father once. And yet, in the face of absence, I built presence. I’ve lived lives within this life: the gifted student, the quiet observer, the dropout, the addict, the seeker, the scholar, the healer. I’ve lost myself. I’ve found myself again. I’ve battled mental illness. I’ve prayed to silence. I’ve spoken to pain like it was a friend. I’ve studied at elite institutions. I’ve risen from places people try not to see. Today, when I laugh — like in that picture you see — it’s not a performance. It’s release. It’s resurrection. It’s the sound of a man who reclaimed his time. I’m here to build, to serve, to connect, to heal — not in spite of where I come from, but because of it.