Candidate #8, Marva R. Sam-Arrindell

Born in Aruba to a diverse family, with roots throughout the Dutch Caribbean including Sint Maarten, Marva moved to Sint Maarten at age 7.

Marva has been an educator for over 36 years. She started her career as a kindergarten teacher. She eventually acquired her Bachelors and a Masters in Education. She has taught students of all ages, from pre-elementary right up to adults at university level. Currently she functions as coordinator of a college preparatory program at USM and as local administrator at USM for the University of the Virgin Islands.

Marva has founded two children foster homes. One in Sint Maarten and the other one in Suriname. Together with her husband, she also founded several ministries catering to the spiritual and social needs of the community. Their latest project is the Community Outreach Mentorship and Empowerment Center known as the C.O.M.E. Center. It is a platform through which they serve the community in various capacities such as feeding programs, technical skill programs like sewing, literacy programs aimed to educate functionally illiterate, English and non-English speaking adults, elderly support initiatives and other outreach activities. Entering politics is for her another way to serve her country.