Librarians
We are a team of library professionals, dedicated to providing excellent, seamless library services for all of our students because we know that excellent school libraries are essential to creating life-long learners.
Jamila Abdulrashid
Jamila Abdulrashid joined the team at Passages September 2019 as a certified school librarian at the Bronx Hope site. She has worked in libraries for over 12 years. Ms. Abdulrashid earned her MSLIS from Syracuse University in 2016, has a M.S. in Early Childhood Education, has certification in administration and majored in Economics and minored in Elementary Education for her undergraduate degree. She is a passionate educator who enjoys teaching students the art of learning and believes that all students should be afforded the opportunity to succeed. What Ms. Abdulrashid enjoys most about being a librarian is the opportunity to work with all staff and students. It allows her to share resources, ideas and services that are best suited for specific populations, and individuals.
Jessica Fenster-Sparber
Jessica Fenster-Sparber arrived at Passages almost a decade ago when it was bereft of school libraries. She received her B.A. from New College and later earned an M.S.T. from The New School, an M.S. in Literacy from City College, and is currently working towards her Master’s in library science at Rutgers University. She is passionate about providing library services to incarcerated and detained youth in New York City and advocates for excellent school library services to all incarcerated youth beyond the city’s limits. Jessica served as Passages' Libraries and Literacy Coordinator before taking up her current post at Passages Academy's school librarian at its Belmont site.
Claudio Leon
Claudio Leon joined the team in 2008 as a Library Assistant after four years of service in the United States Navy. While working at Passages, he attended City Tech for his undergraduate degree in Computer Systems, received his MSLIS from Pratt Institute, and now works as a Certified School Librarian at the Horizon library. In working for Passages Academy, Mr. Leon most enjoys putting technology into the hands of Passages’ students and working in the community in which he grew up. He’s an avid reader of graphic novels; his favorite genres are fantasy and science fiction. In his spare time, he browses the web to see what’s in and what's out in the tech world and he doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to shake his love of video games.
Jamila Abdulrashid
Jamila Abdulrashid joined the team at Passages September 2019 as a certified school librarian at the Bronx Hope site. She has worked in libraries for over 12 years. Ms. Abdulrashid earned her MSLIS from Syracuse University in 2016, has a M.S. in Early Childhood Education, has certification in administration and majored in Economics and minored in Elementary Education for her undergraduate degree. She is a passionate educator who enjoys teaching students the art of learning and believes that all students should be afforded the opportunity to succeed. What Ms. Abdulrashid enjoys most about being a librarian is the opportunity to work with all staff and students. It allows her to share resources, ideas and services that are best suited for specific populations, and individuals.
Jessica Fenster-Sparber
Jessica Fenster-Sparber arrived at Passages almost a decade ago when it was bereft of school libraries. She received her B.A. from New College and later earned an M.S.T. from The New School, an M.S. in Literacy from City College, and is currently working towards her Master’s in library science at Rutgers University. She is passionate about providing library services to incarcerated and detained youth in New York City and advocates for excellent school library services to all incarcerated youth beyond the city’s limits. Jessica served as Passages' Libraries and Literacy Coordinator before taking up her current post at Passages Academy's school librarian at its Belmont site.
Claudio Leon
Claudio Leon joined the team in 2008 as a Library Assistant after four years of service in the United States Navy. While working at Passages, he attended City Tech for his undergraduate degree in Computer Systems, received his MSLIS from Pratt Institute, and now works as a Certified School Librarian at the Horizon library. In working for Passages Academy, Mr. Leon most enjoys putting technology into the hands of Passages’ students and working in the community in which he grew up. He’s an avid reader of graphic novels; his favorite genres are fantasy and science fiction. In his spare time, he browses the web to see what’s in and what's out in the tech world and he doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to shake his love of video games.
