Our Team
Hailing from the South Bronx, Sasha joined the Double Discovery Center in 2022. With Columbia since 2011, she has worked in the Office of Alumni & Development and the Office of the Dean at Columbia College managing alumni leadership boards, key College-wide initiatives and serving as deputy chief of staff to former Columbia College Dean, James J. Valentini. Prior to joining Columbia, Sasha worked at the American Red Cross in Greater New York leading youth development programs and at the National MS Society building its volunteer programs. She earned a B.S. from Cornell University and a Master’s from Teachers College. Sasha is known in the Columbia community for her commitment to excellence, strong work ethic, humility and sense of humor. She has a heart for young people, which has been consistently present in her 20-year nonprofit career. Sasha loves creating art, international travel, and is the Center's self-proclaimed resident photographer.
Day is a Licensed Master Social Worker who hails from Kansas City, Kansas. She completed her Bachelor and Master of Social Work degrees at the University of Kansas, and felt a drive to actualize her education and hone herself professionally in NYC, where she has lived since 2017. Her passion for the profession of social work has given her the opportunity to work with varying populations in multiple roles, including case management and supervision with unhoused and undocumented families, foster youth, and justice-involved populations at one of the largest supervised release organizations in New York City. Day believes that no matter the role, a person-focused, clinically-informed lens is necessary in order to work with people and communities holistically and in a manner that privileges unique strengths, and this is a focus that she brings in her current role as Assistant Director for the Healthy Minds and Bodies program. In her free time, you can find Day cooking vegan food, reading nonfiction or fanfiction, or shopping new niche fragrances.
Gizzel Edmund was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, and still lives there with her wife and 2-year-old son. She received her Bachelor's in Sociology and Master's in Counseling from St. Bonaventure University. She is a proud HEOP alum and believes that opportunity programs are why she made a career in supporting youth as they identify and acquire the skills necessary to be successful adults.
Rabiyya is a proud Brooklyn native and HBCU graduate of the illustrious Spelman College. Instilled with her alma mater’s mission to provide service to her community, Rabiyya has served as an educator in urban settings for 15 years. A long standing adjunct lecturer in the English departments of the City University of New York’s Medgar Evers and York colleges, Rabiyya implemented the practice of culturally relevant teaching to spark the minds and interest of undergraduate learners from culturally diverse backgrounds. She has also taught for academic enrichment programs like Sponsors for Educational Opportunity and NJ LEEP. Rabiyya holds a B.A. in English Literature, an M.A. in English Literature from the University of Toledo; and her years of classroom teaching experience have led her to Teachers College at Columbia University where she is currently pursuing an M.A. in Higher and Postsecondary Education Administration. To quiet the noise of busy days, Rabiyya loves to practice Bikram yoga.
My name is Katarina and I am the Financial Assistant for the Double Discovery Center at Columbia University. I recently graduated with a bachelor's degree in Finance from Baruch College and in my spare time I love playing tennis.
Adam is from the Rio Grande Valley, Texas (shoutout to my border towns), and the first in my family to attend/graduate college. He originally planned on using his Columbia University double major in Sociology and Public health to get a Master's of Public Health and pursue research at the CDC. However, he's since found passion in college and career access work catered to first-generation, low-income students.