Our Team
Sibylla Shekerdjiska-Benatova
A Book A Day Founder & Executive Director
Building libraries and collecting books is a passion best shared. My hope is that our selection of books will promote an appreciation for children’s literature and will develop visual literacy among young readers.
Boyana Siromahova
Treasurer, Assistant Manager
Joining A Book A Day is an experience which resonates with Boyana’s view on the importance of giving a fair start and opportunity to all children, regardless of their social or economic background. The program is all about pursuing curiosity and has a unique way of introducing young people to a world where ideas are created and most importantly – never impossible. Education is very close to her heart, and she stands grateful and proud to be part of the team.
Marisa Marino
Social Media and Projects Coordinator
Marisa is an elementary/special educator with an M.S.Ed. in Reading/Writing/Literacy. As a current 5th grade teacher in NJ, Marisa hopes children embrace their own stories and feel empowered to share them, through the power of reading diverse literature.
Tanushree Chowdhary
Graduate Assistant, Design
She is a Graduate student in the Environmental Building Design program at the University of Pennsylvania. She believes visual literacy is one of the best ways to acquire knowledge and wants to ensure that every child has the access to such books.
Flora Ward
Grants Manager
Flora is an arts administrator, art historian, and artist-in-training. She believes that we can learn about ourselves and one another through the power of words and images. Flora is committed to supporting ABaD’s mission to foster the visual literacy of children across Philadelphia.
Nastassia Sharanhovich
Artist-in-residence
Nastassia is a cat illustrator, graphic designer, screen printer and book restorer currently pursuing her BFA at the University of Pennsylvania. With a passion for creating whimsical and heartwarming art, she aims to bring smiles to people’s faces through her charming illustrations and spread joy in every project she undertakes. Her work reflects a unique blend of tradition, innovation, creativity, and skill, showcasing her dedication to both preserving and reimagining artistic expression.
Emily Flanders
Dornsife School of Public Health Partnership Fellow
Emily is a graduate student at Drexel University pursuing her Master of Public Health with a concentration in Community Health and Prevention and a minor in Maternal and Child Health. She is passionate about bridging the gap between literacy and healthcare, ensuring that all individuals, regardless of background, can understand, access, and advocate for their own well-being.
Applied Practical Experience Course “Bonding Through Books: NICU Family Literacy Program”
Marissa McCormick
Dornsife School of Public Health Partnership Fellow
Marissa is a first-year MPH Epidemiology student at Drexel University with a background in health sciences and nutrition. She believes that access to literacy tools and programs can lead to positive health outcomes and aims to facilitate this access for members of the community through A Book a Day.
Applied Practical Experience Course “Bonding Through Books: NICU Family Literacy Program”
Alyssa Arnold
Student Volunteer
Alyssa is a sophomore at Bodine High School for International Affairs. Joining the ABAD team in February 2025, she aims to contribute towards the development of children’s literacy in our communities. She believes that everyone should have access to books that will educate our youth, while also providing notable memories. In her free time, Alyssa enjoys debating with her school’s team, recreational writing, and finding ways to improve the world around her.
Yaniv Ovadia
Volunteer
Yaniv is an alumni of the University of Central Florida with a degree in Health Science. His background is in epidemiology, nutrition, and athletic training. He believes early access to quality education and reading are the core foundations that set people up for healthy habits as they grow.
Tara Kleponis
Graduate Assistant
Tara is a graduate student pursuing an M.S.Ed. in Literacy Studies at the University of Pennsylvania so that she can better advocate for access to literacy in Philadelphia and beyond. She believes that sharing stories and encouraging reading are great ways to strengthen communities by building worldly connections and uplifting young voices.
Alumni
Julia Adler, Graduate Assistant
Education and art are at the center of Julia’s life. She is a collage artist and a graduate student in Reading, Writing and Literacy at Penn GSE. Her sense of curiosity about the world was nurtured by her “free range” childhood growing up in New Hampshire. She hopes to share that curiosity with all children by fighting for equal access to education, and of course, to beautiful and powerful books.
Sophia Chen, Designer
Sophia is a sophomore in high school at Baldwin. She joined the A Book a Day team to help contribute to the valuable causes of the nonprofit. She has a passion for art and design and wants to help kids all over Philadelphia get to create all kinds of art and express themselves.
Justin Roberts, Tech Assistant
Justin is a Junior at the University of Pennsylvania studying Political Science and Economics. He joined the team in Spring 2022 under ABAD’s partnership with the Penn LGBT Center. He believes in ABAD’s mission as literature has formed an important part of his life.
Hannah Adler, Graduate Assistant
Hannah is a graduate student in the Reading, Writing, Literacy program at Penn GSE. She believes that reading books that reflect children’s identities, cultures, and communities is an enriching, life-affirming act. She hopes to help ABAD in their mission to foster community and empower readers in the greater West Philadelphia area.
Mengran Liu, Graduate Assistant
I am a master’s student in the Reading/Writing/Literacy program at the University of Pennsylvania. I majored in filmmaking in my undergraduate study. One topic that I am interested in exploring is intersectionality. My goal is to employ my own funds of knowledge and past experiences to make literature resources more accessible to every kid in the community.
Soyoung (So) Jung, Senior Assistant Manager
So joined A Book a Day in 2018 as a graduate assistant. Being a part of ABAD’s team is extremely rewarding because it offers chances to children who may not have easy access to a home library or up-to-date books. As an immigrant who came to this country at the age of four, So hopes to contribute her knowledge and experience to make improvements to equal opportunity and awareness of the importance of children’s literature. So works at a consulting firm in Philadelphia and had previous experience at a nonprofit for seniors. She received her undergraduate degree in Development Sociology at Cornell University and her master’s degree in Social Policy at the University of Pennsylvania.
Iman Tednga, Undergraduate Assistant
Iman is a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania studying Philosophy. He works at the LGBT Center in partnership with A Book A Day. The reason they chose to be part of this program is to help young children see themselves in literature and be able to have incredible role models they can actually relate to!
Minnie Jung, Program Manager
Minnie graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Master’s in Social Policy in 2021. Her work at A Book a Day ultimately informed her academic interests in education policy, where she is currently interning at the Office of Children at Families in Philadelphia supporting education initiatives in the city. She urges you all to have confidence in your voices and stories, be curious about your roots and histories, and be willing to listen to those around you — meaningful education comes in all shapes and forms, and when you least expect it.
