Our Staff

Rushali is a Library Associate at the Gottesman Libraries and is currently pursuing her Master’s in Psychology in Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Before enrolling at Teachers College, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Humanities from India. With a deep interest in understanding human behavior and emotional development, Rushali is passionate about applying psychological principles to promote well-being and personal growth. As an international student, she also enjoys exploring the cultural diversity of New York City, especially through its vibrant culinary scene

Hailing from the University of Pittsburgh as an undergraduate student, Stephany (Rocio) Andrade continues their education in the Sociology and Education Master of Arts program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Also known as Rocio, she is passionate about how storytelling provides communities autonomy to advocate for themselves, carry on traditions, and amplify voices. Stephany (Rocio) is a proud first-generation Student/American and a TRIO SSS alumni!

Prior to joining the Teachers College staff as a Library Assistant, I was employed at City College of New York as a CUNY Office Assistant. There my job involved the purchasing of print books and electronic books for the campus libraries. I also assisted in the commercial binding operations of library materials. As a person with roots in the Caribbean I do have a love of African American and Caribbean history which directed my path to a bachelor of arts degree in History with a minor in English from Hunter College. In my spare time I look forward to the outdoors and also expanding on my love of Broadway plays and musicals. I look forward to seeing as many as possible mainly the newbies and some of the older favorites.

Chyanika Bajaj is currently pursuing an M.A. in Curriculum and Teaching at Teachers College, Columbia University. Before her studies at Teachers College, she earned a Bachelor of English (Honors) and a Bachelor of Education from India. Chyanika possesses a C2 level of proficiency in German, certified by the Goethe Institute, and has dedicated eleven years to teaching German as a foreign language in schools in New Delhi.

She has been instrumental in implementing significant initiatives, including the introduction of the German Language Diploma (DSD) examinations, the school’s affiliation with PASCH (Schools: Partners for the Future) and integration of UNESCO's Green Academies into the school curriculum. She has organized numerous cultural and educational events to enhance students' understanding of the German language and its rich cultural heritage. She has been awarded prestigious scholarships for advanced teacher training programs in Germany, focused on refining her pedagogical strategies.

Fluent in English, German, Hindi, and Punjabi, Chyanika enjoys leveraging her linguistic skills to connect with diverse student populations and is eager to make meaningful contributions to the academic community at Teachers College. As an international student, she loves exploring New York City, going for nature walks, and immersing herself in the vibrancy of her new surroundings.

Carolina is a Library Associate at Gottesman Libraries and a first year graduate student in the Counseling Psychology, School Counseling Program. She is passionate about supporting high school students in both their academic and personal lives, and is particularly interested in the ways students can be best guided through the college admissions process. Before attending TC, Carolina earned her B.A. in English at the University of Notre Dame. In her free time, Carolina loves to read and write poetry and play ultimate frisbee.

Hi! My name is Ashley and I’m currently pursuing an MS in Computer Science at Columbia Engineering. I did my BS in Game Design and Development at RIT, and have made games for personal projects and for work. I decided to continue my education here in order to become a more competent programmer and I aspire to become a software engineer. In my free time I like cooking and painting.

Tim is the Web Services and Systems Librarian at Teachers College. Prior to joining the staff, he served as the Online Services Librarian at Manhattanville College. He brings his mastery of content management systems and data migration from that position. A long, long time ago he graduated from CUNY-Queens College with a Master's Degree in Library Science. Before that, he received a Bachelor's Degree in Peace Studies from Manhattan College. He likes to teach himself graphic design and coding languages in his free time, and is a slow learner on both. He is a native and lifetime resident of the tristate area, and likes to lord his knowledge of how to drive, walk, and bike around Manhattan over others.

Kaili is a Library Associate at the Gottesman Libraries and is pursuing her Masters in Social-Organizational Psychology. Prior to her enrollment at Teachers College, she received a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology and Bachelors of Sciences in Brain & Cognitive Sciences from the University of Rochester. She is passionate about improving working conditions, job satisfaction, and understanding human behavior. In her free time she enjoys walking around NYC, visiting museums, or curling up with a good book. 

Cassie is a Library Associate at Gottesman Libraries and is currently pursuing an M.A. in Elementary Inclusive Education. She graduated from the University of Oregon in 2023 with a degree in Comparative Literature, as well as a degree in Family Human Services. Before enrolling in Teachers College, she worked at an elementary school in Las Vegas as both a Title I Library Aide and a Literacy and Language Intervention Specialist. She loves libraries and bookstores, as well as watching movies. 

Sutapa is a Library associate at Gottesman Libraries and is currently pursuing her Masters in Clinical Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University. Before this, she worked as a research assistant at a neuroimaging lab in New Delhi, India and graduated with a Bachelors in Psychology (Hons) from University of Delhi. She loves reading books about mind-body connection, health, and philosophy. Fun fact about Sutapa: She is a trained Classical Dancer in Kathak and can speak 4 languages! In her free time, she loves trying out different restaurants in New York and going to museums and musicals.

Born in Washington, D.C.  and raised in Chicago, Jennifer grew up in a family that engaged with justice, art, and education. Her father was a corporate lawyer and constitutional delegate for the state of Illinois; her mother, an artist from Maine who worked with lithograph, acrylic, cloth, and mixed mediums; her stepfather, a British geology professor and university finance administrator; her English stepmother, an English teacher in Africa. Their example inspired in her deep respect for binding human customs or practices; learning, teaching, and research; and creativity in expression.

The most interesting aspect of libraries, for her, is creating spaces that nurture the continual educational growth of our patrons -- spaces, both physical and virtual, that are research-oriented, collegial, collaborative, innovative, creative, tuned to our needs and times, yet informed by history, its life lessons, and future thinking. These spaces embrace the wide scope of collections, services, and that little bit extra -- the Gottesman Libraries' Education Program. As Library Director and Senior Librarian she provides direction and oversees the work of all all units, with a focus on administration, budget, relations, content management, communication, programming, and user engagement.

Jennifer brings wide experience through decades of dedicated work at Teachers College in reference service, library collection management, K-12 collections, archives, access, and outreach. She holds a BA Combined Honors in English and French from The University of Exeter, England, and a Master of Librarianship from The College of Librarianship Wales, The University of Wales. She taught English in southern France; has family throughout the United States and United Kingdom; and was once described by a library colleague as a "world citizen" though she has lived with her own family in Manhattan for many years.

Krystal is a writer, photographer, and producer who has worked across the non-profit sector, community journalism, global media, photography, public art and higher education. She joins the Gottesman Libraries from the Columbia Journalism School, where she was the Program Manager of the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, a resource center and global network of journalists, journalism educators and health professionals dedicated to improving media coverage of trauma, conflict and tragedy, and where she earned an MA in arts and culture journalism in 2013. She is currently a first year MA student in the arts and art education program at Teachers College, where she focuses on printmaking and community education. 

Samantha is a current psychology masters student on the clinical track. She completed her undergraduate studies at Emory University and is excited to keep pursuing her academic interests in emotion, memory and mood disorders, to name a few. Outside of her studies, she enjoys painting, reading, and spending time  with her very cute dog, Lila.

Ava is the Research and Instruction Librarian at Gottesman Libraries. A native New Yorker, she grew up just a few blocks east of Morningside Park in Harlem. Prior to joining the team at Teachers College, she worked at CUNY’s Bronx Community College Library and Pratt Institute Libraries. She was a Junior Fellow in the Library of Congress' Office of Literary Initiatives and spent a year in Spain teaching at a bilingual high school. She received an MSLIS with an advanced certificate in Digital Humanities from Pratt Institute’s School of Information and a BA in English Language and Literature from the University of Chicago. She enjoys going camping, discovering new authors, and editing Wikipedia articles. 

Roshnara Kissoon is the Reserves and Support Services Librarian at Gottesman Libraries. Before joining Teachers College, Roshnara managed the course reserve service and collections at the Newman Library, Baruch College, CUNY.  

Roshnara is most gratified when she can more easily connect students and faculty to resources needed for their coursework, teaching, and research, and when locating particularly elusive materials.

Roshnara received her MLS from Queens College, CUNY and has a BA in English and Economics from NYU. She has also studied English Literature at NYU’s GSAS and remains an amateur Victorian literature scholar.

Conrad Lochner joins the Gottesman Libraries as the new Special Collections and Digital Librarian. In the past, he has enjoyed the opportunity to engage with a multitude of collections and non-profit organizations such as Sesame Workshop, PEN America, Swiss Institute, and Performa. A curator at heart, Conrad seeks to discover and increase the accessibility of the diverse holdings that archival and library collections steward. 

As a graduate of Pratt Institute’s School of Information (2013), Conrad utilized technology-driven pedagogy to develop a critical understanding of art-based collections, focusing on intersectional issues concerning ownership, provenance, and decolonization. Previous to pursuing his graduate degree, Conrad attended Hunter College (2010) where he pursued degrees in Literature and Philosophy, with a particular interest in post-war poetry, counter-culture, and thought—three areas which continue to influence the acquisitions of his own personal collection. 

Rhia is a Library Associate at the Gottesman Libraries and a first year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology program. Prior to joining Teacher's College, she got a BA in Liberal Arts and humanities along with a post graduate Diploma in Research. She has a strong interest in the intersection of technology and mental health, dedicating much of her time to research in this area. When not in the library, she is often immersed in studying how digital advancements can enhance psychological well-being and therapeutic interventions. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music and exploring NYC.

Kai Oh is an Art and Design Library Associate at Gottesman Libraries. She holds an MFA in Visual Arts (Photography) from Columbia University and a BFA in Sculpture from Seoul National University. As a visual artist, Kai focuses on expanding the medium of photography. In addition to her artistic practice, she has experience in teaching, graphic design, and arts administration.

Amber is the Manager of Operations at Gottesman Libraries. A first generation NY native, she's lived all around the state including Queens, Manhattan, The Bronx, Westchester and Orange County. While she holds an undergraduate degree from Manhattanville College in biology and sociology, her career path has led from STEM non-profit to higher education. A self proclaimed foodie, she appreciates connecting with her Asian, Latin, and European roots through cooking and discovering new restaurants. When she isn't frequenting her kickboxing, yoga and cycling classes, she enjoys the arts of reading and writing poetry, canvas painting and listening to music.

Victoria is the Processing Archivist for Special Collections at the Gottesman Libraries. Prior to joining the staff, Victoria worked at the New York Public Library and was a museum collections management intern at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Connecticut. Before delving into the world of libraries, archives, and museums, Victoria worked in higher education as a writing tutor and writing specialist at Manhattanville College and Concordia College New York. In preserving and stewarding collections, Victoria hopes to forge connections with researchers across disciplines so that the public can have a better connection to and understanding of  scholarship.  

Victoria earned their MLIS from St. John’s University, concentrating their coursework on archives and academic librarianship. They received a Master’s degree in English and American Literature from New York University where they studied nineteenth-century travel writing. These studies informed Victoria’s professional practice, through which they strive to acknowledge the power that descriptive language and narrative hold over access to and interpretation of information. 

Victoria’s creative work can be found in the journals Impossible Archetype and Cathexis Northwest Press. In their spare time, Victoria reads, writes, watches movies, and plays video games. 

Kate Scott is an Art and Design Library Associate at Gottesman Libraries, and is pursuing an MA in Art and Art Education w/K-12 Initial Certification at Teachers College. Originally from Philadelphia, she holds a BFA in Painting and Creative Writing from the Maryland Institute College of Art, and an MS in Art & Design History from Pratt Institute. When she's not working or learning, she writes and performs sketch comedy with her collective, Road House, and works as an on-air radio host on 89.5 WMOT, an NPR music affiliate based in Nashville, TN. But perhaps most importantly, she is the loving butler to a 14 year old chihuahua mix named Ozzie. 

Deidre Thompson is the Head of Technical Services and Metadata Librarian. She was born in Belize, Central America and grew up in the Bronx. Prior to joining Gottesman Libraries, she was the Collection Services Librarian at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. She received her BA in Art History from Bard College and an MLIS from Pratt Institute with an advanced certificate in Digital Humanities. She enjoys reading, visiting art museums and has encyclopedic knowledge of the tv show Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Prashasti is a Library Associate at the Gottesman Libraries and is pursuing her second master’s in Social-Organizational Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University. Originally from Delhi, India, she has over 4 years of experience in applied behavioral research. Her passion lies at the intersection of people analytics and AI, where she focuses on using data to create better work conditions. She is currently developing her programming skills to dive deeper into this field. In addition to her academic and professional pursuits, Prashasti is trained in Indian Classical Musical and loves to sing, dance, and hula hoop in her free time. She cherishes genuine connections and believes that a good laugh with people and a walk in the rain can make everything better.

Lauren J. Young is a science and tech journalist by day and a Gottesman Libraries' Services Associate by night. She covers climate and public health, conservation and wildlife, environmental justice, education and culture. She attended NYU's Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program and received a Master's degree in journalism. For fun, she collects comic books and browses digital library archives. You can see her writing and reporting on her portfolio and follow her on Twitter.