Our Team

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Rebekah Shoaf is a New York City-based educational consultant and the founder and owner of Boogie Down Books, a bookstore-without-walls for kids, teens, families, and educators in the Bronx and beyond. After teaching high school English for ten years, she served as a Teacher Development Coach with the NYC Department of Education, where she supported educators at middle and high schools in promoting rigorous, student-centered instruction. She continues to work with a variety of clients to promote educational equity through transformative professional learning experiences as an instructional and teacher leadership coach, professional development facilitator, and curriculum designer for both adolescent and adult learning. A Miami native, Rebekah is a lifelong bookworm, a university instructor, a graduate of the Chef's Training Program at the Natural Gourmet Institute, and an aunt to six budding bibliophiles. She believes that teaching young people to read well and eat well can change the world.

Melissa Silvester is an avid reader who not only loves YA Fiction but also adores picture books! Reading has been a big part of her identity since she was a child and her love of books has just grown over the years. She is currently at CUNY Hunter College pursuing a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Sociology. After finishing undergrad, Melissa hopes to continue keeping books in her life and in her career. Watch out for her because she might be marketing your new favorite book in the near future! 

Jazy Cintron is a Bronxian who began practicing yoga in 2012. Since then, yoga has become a way of life for her. Jazy has extensive training and experience in teaching yoga to all ages and is dedicated to making yoga and wellness practices accessible to everyone, regardless of age, ability, gender, race, or income. In 2012, she completed her 200-hour Yoga Teaching Certification and studied anatomy and therapeutic movement for 3 years with Amy Matthews and Leslie Kaminoff at The Breathing Project. She went on to complete two children’s yoga teacher training certifications with Karma Kids and Bent On Learning, as well as an apprenticeship with Lineage Project that brings mindfulness programs to incarcerated, homeless, and academically vulnerable youth. Jazy has also served as an after-school coach with “Kids in the Game” (KinG), an organization promoting healthy, active lifestyles among young children. As a Latina, her experiences enable her to introduce the concepts of yoga, health, and wellness to New York City students in a way that they can relate to. In her spare time she is a street and lifestyle photographer running through the streets of New York City with her Sony 6500. She is currently working on a passion project called “Bronx Yoga Bodies” capturing the different bodies of her yoga students and friends. She believes it’s time to change the perception of wellness and perfectly shaped bodies, especially in the Bronx.  

Wesley Sanders is a passionate writer and a voracious reader. Wesley is currently obtaining his associate's degree in literature and creative writing from Borough of Manhattan Community College. After completing his studies at BMCC, Wesley will be attending NYU, where he will be working towards his bachelor's degree in individualized studies as part of the Gallatin Guide program. Wesley plans on becoming a teacher specializing in public school education and a writer who works primarily on fiction for young adults. He is currently working on his first novel about a black superhero growing up in a city that is filled with racism and segregation. Wesley, a Bronx native, loves reading. Some of his favorite books are Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and The Hate You Give. Wesley enjoys reading with children because he wants every child to develop a love for literacy.

Lydia Adegbola is the English Department chairperson at New Rochelle High School in Westchester County and seeks to use her role to redefine what it means to be literary. She believes in the tremendous impact of reading and will stop at nothing to help young people fall in love with the written word. Lydia is a graduate of New York University with a B.A. in Secondary English Education and a M. A. in School Building Leadership. She spent the first 15 years of her career as a high school English teacher and assistant principal in New York City and is delighted about the opportunity to spread her passion for reading with both teachers and students alike. When Lydia is not reading  or “book clubbing”, she loves spending time with her amazing husband and rambunctious toddlers. 

Cadence is a clothes-designing, ballet-dancing, homeschooled eleven-year- old who loves to read!  She's been fascinated by books since she was really little. Reading is her passion, and it’s been a huge influence on how she views the world. Years of exploring and increasing her imagination through books have inspired her to start a book club and even write her own book. Books are part of who she is, and she's sure it will stay that way!