Meet the Team
Sarah Kamya
Founder
Favorite book as a child: Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park
Favorite book as an adult: too hard to pick but…Becoming by Michelle Obama
Sarah can be found by day in a New York City Public School serving as a counselor for students in grades K-5, and by night she is either deep in the pages of a book, sending books to other states, or filling a Little Free Library (usually all three happening at once).
Sarah has always been a book lover, and recalls some of her best memories on the floor of the Arlington Public Library surrounded by books.
Sarah believes that all children should see themselves represented on the pages of a book, and it is through her work as a school counselor at a Title I school with predominantly Black and Brown students that she recognized the importance of feeling seen, celebrated, and empowered. When Sarah isn’t at school, or reading a book, she can be found practicing yoga, baking bread, and traveling to new places. Sarah sees Diverstories as a place for others to connect, share, and educate themselves on diverse cultures.
Ava Miner
Finance
Favorite book as a child: Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish
Favorite book as an adult: We’re Going to Need More Wine by Gabrielle Union
Ava grew up outside of Washington, D.C., and is a proud resident of New York City. Ava works at a Real Estate Investment firm and in her spare time likes to run outside, try new restaurants in different NYC neighborhoods, play tennis, and, of course, read.
Ava’s love for reading started when she was a toddler, sometimes even reading the book upside down. Now, Ava loves to read memoirs, nonfiction mysteries, and captivating beach books. She believes a glass of wine and a book is the best Sunday evening wind-down before the week ahead.
Ava believes in the Diverstories mission because, as a BIPOC female from a predominately white hometown, she remembers the joy of seeing kids that look like her and share similar experiences in her childhood and young adult books.
Marianna Stepniak
Communication & Partnerships
Favorite book as a child: Saffy’s Angel by Hilary McKay
Favorite book as an adult: We Were Eight Years in Power by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Marianna works at an educational nonprofit, and she is based outside of Boston, MA. When she isn’t working at her job or supporting the Diverstories mission, you can find her hiking in New England, getting hyped about the latest addition to the Marvel universe, taking care of her plants, or reading.
As a kid, Marianna devoured The Magic Tree House books and left no stone unturned in the children’s section of the library. It wasn’t until college, though, that she started to consider whose stories she was reading. Which voices did her education choose to elevate?
Marianna joined Diverstories because she believes in the power of stories to shape the way we understand the world. By amplifying and celebrating stories written by and about people of color, we challenge the ways stories have historically been told (with whiteness at the center) and work toward a fuller, more just world.
Fannely Valerio
Social Media
Favorite book as a child: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Favorite book as an adult: Fire Keeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
Fannely is an MBA candidate at a New York State University, currently working in higher education. She is also the eldest daughter of immigrant parents, which means that she has also been a bookkeeper, a translator, a college counselor, a party planner and so much more!
Fannely’s favorite stories are YA novels where a young, spirited character has to take their limited experiences and angsty teen attitude to prevail to help their community. Something about having adventures beyond her wildest dreams is so satisfying to read about.
To Fannely, being a part of the Diverstories team means creating and sharing stories and inspirations for others to create and share their own stories and inspirations. She strongly believes that there are no single-hero stories, as we are all a reflection of the people we are inspired by. She is so excited and proud to be a part of this journey!
Our Partners
Schools
The Advent School (Boston, MA)
Bracket Elementary School (Arlington, MA)
Epiphany School (Dorchester, MA)
Forest Hills High School (Forest Hills, Queens, NY)
Pauline A. Shaw Elementary School (Dorchester, MA)
Phineas Bates School (Boston, MA)
Tabor Academy (Marion, MA)
UP Academy Boston (South Boston, MA)
Organizations
Aarakis Therapeutics (Waltham, MA)
Black Educators' Alliance of Massachusetts (Boston, MA)
Love Your Magic (Boston, MA)
One Bead Boston (Boston, MA)
Salem City Hall (Salem, MA)
Super Smalls (New York, NY)