Abby Jordan

Abby Jordan is a Brighton Beach native whose Salvadorean immigrant parents have been homeowners in the community for over 35 years.  After graduating from CUNY Hunter, she worked as a paralegal for an immigration project in the Bronx, a long commute from her home in Southern Brooklyn.  As a new member of CIBBOWS (Coney Island Brighton Beach Open Water Swimmers) and a volunteer with the Billion Oyster Project, Abby feels a special connection to the water and nature. “The whole ocean thing really came about from my abuelita, my father’s mom. She would wake up very early and go swimming," Abby says. "I swim on my own to escape the city and not think about my commute. And I spend a lot of time on the boardwalk by myself just to have a little bit of extra space away from home.”

In the interview, Abby, who is 24, says she hadn't traveled outside of the Borough of Brooklyn until high school and that she can't imagine living anywhere but Brighton Beach and Coney Island, but she does want to know what it's like living in another country and then she'll be back.  After the interview was recorded, she won a Fulbright scholarship to Mexico, where she is an English Teaching Assistant in Atlacomulco.