Student Profiles

Nadine Baldasare graduated from CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies with a BS in Film in 2003.  She spent fifteen years working in film, television and freelance photography, including as Executive Producer of the PBS LGBT newsmagazine, In the Life.  She is currently interested in developing an innovative model for financing and growing arts education programs that foster critical thinking skills for students to become better consumers of art, media & culture. She leads an arts activism group which amplifies marginalized voices and helps to organize community education in media literacy.

Tia Bangura was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. In 2015 she graduated magna cum laude from Portland State University with a BA in Anthropology and Black Studies. Her background in cultural anthropology sparked an interest in art and art history. Although she was first interested in curating, Tia soon came to learn about arts administration through undergraduate coursework and professional development opportunities. She has interned at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, volunteered with the Cascade Festival of African Films, and most recently worked at the Portland Art Museum as a Membership Associate. She is interested in Black artists, development, museum education, and equity in the arts. Tia is excited to be part of the Arts Administration program at Teachers College, Columbia University, and aspires to use art to engage with diverse communities.

Lisa Berk graduated from Colgate University in 2014 where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Art History and Asian Studies. Lisa has interned in the education department at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and worked as a project technician at Studio TKM, a private fine art conservation studio in Boston. Most recently, Lisa worked at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston in the Member and Visitor Services department.

Carolina Cambronero Varela has been involved in community work that utilizes the arts to promote a better environment and future for its population. The Arts Administration program, with its emphasis on education, will complement and guide her objective of making the arts attainable to all. She believes that society, primarily children, needs exposure to the arts to better understand the power of change that each person has within. She envisions the creation/expansion of non-profit international organizations that will accentuate the importance of education through art for all socio-economic, age, gender and academic levels, particularly in marginalized regions across the globe.

Jordan Carter graduated from Boston University in 2017 with a degree in Percussion Performance. During his undergraduate degree, Jordan was interested in utilizing the intersection between arts engagement and social justice to provide inner-city youth with a positive outlet to express themselves. He served as the President of the College of Fine Arts Student Government, founded the Boston University Black Artists Alliance, and managed an after-school music program for Boston Public School students. Jordan also raps and occasionally performs chamber music for percussion. Ultimately, he plans to become the director of a youth arts center.

Emerson (Hsun-Fang) Chang graduated in 2016 from National Chengchi University in Taiwan with double majors in Business Administration and Accounting as well as a minor in Japanese. Her ambition to become an arts manager stemmed from an unwavering passion for the performing arts. She conducted the university choir, co-curated a music festival on campus, and participated in productions of the internationally award-winning Taipei Chamber Singers. Prior to joining ARAD, Hsun-Fang worked at Trees Music & Art as an album field researcher, programming assistant, and marketing coordinator for the label’s Migration Music Festival and New Narratives Film Festival. She enjoys connecting with new audience, and looks forward to gaining practical experiences in audience and fiscal development of art events at ARAD.

Monica Chen is a native of Massachusetts. She spent the majority of her undergraduate career as a Piano Performance major at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, after one year of study at the Boston Conservatory. Later, she attended Oberlin College and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 2018. Monica was first introduced to the field of arts administration when she worked as the Assistant to the Artistic Director of Cremona International Music Academy and Competition. Most recently, she was an Artist Liaison for the Oberlin Artist Recital Series. Monica is passionate about creating positive experiences for a wide range of audiences by cultivating a classical music scene that is more accessible. She also hopes to advocate for more diverse concert programming, and for the acceptance and implementation of new ideas in arts organizations. Monica looks forward to joining the Arts Administration program to cultivate the skills necessary to be part of the force that keeps the performing arts world vibrant, current, and accessible.

Nicole (Jiawei) Chen graduated from Colgate University in May, 2018 with a Studio Art major as well as minors in Museum Studies and Economics. Interested in both fine arts and design, she has previously volunteered at the Church of Santa Croce in Florence and interned with the NYC-based fashion designer Asher Levine. Until graduation, Nicole worked as an intern at Colgate University’s art museum, Picker Art Gallery, where she engaged in object research, collection management, and publicity. Her background in painting and sculpture shapes her understanding of art as something tactile, human, and approachable. Upon joining TC’s ARAD program, she hopes to investigate ways to facilitate the accessibility of art for a wider demographic in the for-profit sector.

Sophie (Suh Young) Chung received her J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law. In addition to her work in the legal world, she has worked for the Volunteers Group for Artists in Korea as a lecturer and researcher.  She is interested in art law and art business. Sophie expects that attending the Arts Administration Program at Columbia will help to enhance her understanding of the arts business and will provide more opportunities for her to expose herself to issues in art law.

Ty Cooperman is a born-and-raised New Yorker. He co-founded and manages Anti-Renaissance, a queer art collective. Ty earned his BA in Art History with high honors from NYU. Ty’s scholarship generally focuses on queer art and artists as well as the complexities of exhibiting controversial and/or previously censored works of art. His larger goal in graduate school is to learn how to make the digital age maximally profitable for visual artists.

Atiya Dorsey graduated from the Heavener School of Business at the University of Florida in 2017. She holds a B.S. in Business Administration (Marketing) with minors in Dance and Entrepreneurship. As an African American choreographer and performer, Atiya’s work examines the lens through which we view black bodies in dance. More specifically, she strives to create strong, visual images through pedestrian movement in order to instill an idea of constant dialogue between the dance, dancers, and audience members. Atiya looks forward to continuing this dialogue at Teachers College.

Ulrike Figueroa Vilchis studied Art History at Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City. During this time she studied abroad in Holland, where she focused on new media art. After graduation, Ulrike interned at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection where she  was later hired as Intern Coordinator and stayed on for a little over two years. After returning to Mexico, she joined the Ministry of Culture and has worked with the Technical Cabinet of the Presidency on several special projects involving archives, research, museography and curatorial work. Ulrike aims to work in the public sector building new audiences through outreach programs and developing favorable public policies for marginalized communities to encourage development through arts and culture.

Beryl Briane Ford recently graduated from Smith College in Northampton, MA with high honors in Art History, a concentration certificate in Museum Studies, and a research fellowship from the Mellon Mays Undergraduate foundation. Prior to being admitted to the Arts Administration program, Beryl Briane interned at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C. in the summer of 2016 and winter of 2017. Once there, she discovered her passion for Arts Administration and the possibility of pursuing a graduate degree that supported her intersecting interests in public programming, education, and administration. During her time in the ARAD program, Beryl Briane intends on demonstrating how a career that engages rather than siloes her aforementioned interests is possible and sustainable. She is also interested in eagerly exploring how art museums address issues of community engagement and inclusion as they relate to audience development.

Caroline Gart is a Brooklyn based theater producer. She recently completed a season long producing fellowship with the Obie Award winning theater company, Clubbed Thumb. She has produced at numerous arts institutions such as New York Stage and Film, Vassar’s Powerhouse Theater, The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center, PS 122’s COIL Festival, Abrons Arts Center, and The Public Theater. She graduated with from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with High Honors in 2012. Caroline looks forward to building a career that continues to provide vital support for underserved and underfunded artists in New York City

Caitlin Green graduated from Villanova University in 2011 where she majored in English and Honors Humanities. Over the past five years, Caitlin has worked at the National Endowment for the Humanities. She worked primarily in NEH’s Office of Congressional Affairs, advancing the agency’s mission on Capitol Hill. Caitlin looks forward to learning more about management practices in the arts, as well as the role the arts can play in social justice issues.

Allison Remy Hall received a BA in anthropology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2011. As an undergraduate, Hall fostered her interest in the arts as an assistant preparator and research assistant at the Yale Art Gallery and UW Madison’s galleries and collections. Following graduation, Hall worked as a Japanese language-based flight attendant for United-Continental. While flying, she began her exploration of the arts and society, curating her first exhibition Wastelands at 313 gallery in Jersey City in 2014. Since then, Hall has curated over a dozen exhibitions in New Jersey and across the East Coast. As a curator, Hall strives to create exhibitions that engage the community beyond the immediate arts core, include artists of diverse backgrounds and mediums, and explore prevailing social and political topics through artwork. In 2017, Hall and her partner founded No Such Arts, an arts production and management firm based in Jersey City.

Gaosong V. Heu is a Hmong American performance artist, published writer, arts administrator, and arts educator. She was born and raised in Saint Paul, MN and graduated from the University of MN-Twin Cities in 2015 with her BA in Theater Arts, with a focus on research and Hmong American performance practices. Gaosong has performed original music and traditional Hmong folk instruments for diverse audiences all over the world. In 2017, Gaosong and her mother, Pang Her Vang, were the recipients of the Minnesota State Arts Board "Cultural Community Partnership Grant." Gaosong's most recent role in arts administration was as an Administrative Manager for Z Puppets Rosenschnoz, for which received the 2017 "Sally Award in Education" from the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. Gaosong is excited to continue her journey in arts administration as a MA Candidate in Columbia University's ARAD Program. To review Gaosong's full resume and bio, please visit her website at www.GaosongVHeu.com.

Peter Huang graduated from Gordon College in Wenham MA. Before joining the ARAD program, he worked at Peabody Essex Museum in Salem MA and Massachusetts Cultural Council in Boston. Peter is a muralist, and his spray paint projects can be seen in Boston and Cambridge. Peter is also a global motorcycle adventurist, and has accomplished multiple motorcycle adventures across North America, China, Southeast Asia and India. His motorcycle public art project across India was featured in a 9 episodes Travel Channel TV series. Upon the completion of his graduate studies, Peter hopes to continue to create, manage and facilitate community-based public art projects across different cultures using his artistic skills and adventure spirit.

Rachel (Qiuhui) Huang graduated from Peking University in July 2017, where she majors in Sociology. In Peking University, she has developed her particular interest in urban sociology and her concerns regarding Chinese citizens and society. She was once inspired by a city designer’s words that “do not look at how many people are walking in the city, but look at how many people have stopped walking to stay and enjoy what is there.” Since she came to Beijing, 798 Art District and traditional Beijing Hu Tongs have become her places of leisure and pleasure. She has also joined a student-run art project that aims to eliminate violence and discrimination towards women and LGBT, and advocate for equality. She wants to lead urban art projects in the future to inspire a new wave of art appreciation in China, bring forth a rise in mutual understanding, and create a brand-new lifestyle for Chinese citizens.

Sonia (Hsuan-Li) Hung holds a double bachelor’s degree in Political Economy and History of Art from the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to graduating from Berkeley, she has interned in the National Science and Technologies Museum and Chimei Museum, doing research, marketing and sales. Her interest in art directly intersects with her training in economic theory and her extracurricular activities in graphic design and photography. Sonia wishes to explore opportunities in non-profit and for-profit art sectors that combine marketing, arts and technology. Sonia is originally from Taiwan and is fluent in Mandarin and English.

Carolina Ide Carvallo was born in Santiago de Chile. After obtaining a Bachelor in Business Administration at Universidad de los Andes in 2015, she attended The American Musical and Dramatic Academy to train in Musical Theater and Performance in New York City. As a performer, administrator and volunteer at the Sing for Hope Foundation, she understands the influence the arts have in people’s lives, and hopes to combine her knowledge and training to promote growth in the arts scene, granting its access to individuals and communities that need it the most.

V Jie came from Shenzhen, China. In 2017, she graduated with Phi Beta Kappa from University of Rochester, where she majored in Financial Economics and Studio Arts and minored in Music. Prior to graduation, she interned at Deloitte Financial Advisory in Hong Kong, focusing on valuation of financial instruments. Through her art practices, she presents and represents the anti-categorical and anti-productive concepts, trying to reconcile her “idle” self-cultivation with the manipulative system. V hopes to gain practical skill set and professional experience while studying in the program and working in NYC. In the future, she seeks to promote contemporary art in her home country.

Sarah Lamade completed her Bachelor's Degree in Anthropology and Linguistics at the University of Rochester. She has interned at several museums, including the National Museum of Play in Rochester and Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in New Hampshire. Before joining the ARAD program, Sarah spent two years in South India working as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, doing research on the interplay between indigenous and colonial heritages, and developing a professional extension course on museum practice in India. She is working towards a career as a cultural consultant and aims to support museums as inclusive and engaging educational spaces for dialogues which cut across boundaries.

Sarah Leary was born and raised in North Carolina. She graduated magna cum laude from East Carolina University in 2014 with a B.F.A. in Theatre Arts. During her undergraduate education she worked as an actor in the Tony Award winning show The Lost Colony. After teaching high school theatre arts for four years in Asheville, she decided to join the ARAD cohort. She plans to return to public school programing in hopes to promote funding, supplies, and spaces for students in the arts. Sarah also works as a freelance model.

Originally from Bangkok, Thailand, Sunny Leerasanthanah is a graduate from Ithaca College in New York. She received a BFA in Film, Photography & Visual Arts with minors in Art History and English. She has since interned with Public Art Fund, Independent Curators International, and the Brooklyn Museum’s Department of African Art. She currently works as a gallery associate and continues to produce photography and video art, which you can view at www.sunnyleeras.com. Her passion lies in contemporary visual art and the application of new media; she has presented research on the topic of Post-Internet Art at Ithaca College’s 19th James J. Whalen Symposium. In addition, she is interested in creating dialogue around LGBTQ+ issues and runs a blog during her free time on queer fashion.

Allason Leitz received her undergraduate degree in Liberal Studies with an emphasis and a minor in Global African Studies at Seattle University. Throughout her undergraduate career and since she has been a part of the administrative team at Yole!Africa a cultural center in Goma, D.R. Congo which hosts the Congo International Film Festival founded in 2005 by the internationally acclaimed filmmaker Petna Ndaliko. Since graduating in 2014 she has continued to be involved with Yole!Africa as well as moving to Berlin, Germany for a year where she worked on the i-doc web series Kinshasa Collection under Dorothee Wenner. Moving forward, Allason hopes to continue to develop bridges in the arts scene between the D.R. Congo and Europe/US because she believes that both places have the potential to learn immensely from one another

Naomi Litman-Zelle graduated magna cum laude from Northeastern University in 2014 with a BA in Cultural Anthropology. Her studies focused on youth culture, social movements and the connections between artistic media and the cultural ideas they express. While at Northeastern, she interned at the University’s art gallery, Gallery 360, to gain an understanding of the administration and policy of artistic spaces. After graduating, she worked in Boston as a fundraiser at Road Scholar, an educational travel organization, where she cultivated her interest in nonprofit development work. She is interested in grassroots movements, specifically arts organizations, and she is excited to use her time in the Arts Administration program to further explore their role in constructing creative strategies to confront global issues.

Celine Liu graduated with a BSc in International Relations and History from the London School of Economics and Political Science in the summer of 2017. In her graduate work, she hopes to focus on cultural diplomacy and to gain more practical knowledge in the arts industry. Her interests lie in marketing and the management of visual arts as well as in creating wider opportunity and accessibility to engage with visual arts. She hopes to combine her interests in international politics and arts administration to work towards building dialogues between cultural and political identities.

Ziqing (Jessica) Liu earned Bachelor degree from University of California, Irvine in 2016 and double majored in Art History and Economics. She worked as a marketing intern at Berkshire Hathaway while she was an undergraduate student. Since graduation, she has worked as an investment analyst at China Investment Financial Holdings. She has a great passion for the arts from different periods and is interested in the obstacles that prevent the promotion and exchange of artistic works. She is interested in combining her knowledge of finance and art to analyze art markets and evaluate art projects, and wishes to pursue a position as an art consultant after she graduates from Teachers College.

Carolina Luna graduated first in her class from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú in 2017, earning a B.A. in Philosophy. Throughout her years of undergraduate studies, she explored the field of Philosophy of Art, conducting research on this topic and focusing on the way in which different philosophical currents shape how we understand and create works of art. Before arriving at the Arts Administration program at Columbia, Carolina was involved with different local museums in Perú, working in education, planning and curatorship. Carolina believes that museums and artistic institutions are philosophical spaces, and that art education is a crucial element in order to encourage reflection and critical thought in a society.

Echo (Aining) Ma graduated from Barnard College, Columbia University where she majored in Art History with Concentration in Visual Arts and minored in Economics and Psychology. During her junior year, she worked at The Metropolitan Museum of Art as a Social Media Intern. She helped to create content for all digital platforms in order to reflect the brand of the Met. In her senior year, she worked at Hearst Design Group as a Market Editorial Intern, focusing on researching product and showrooms, as well as helping with photoshoots and art direction. During her graduate studies, she hopes to explore more possibilities in the art industry while working with her cohort and professionals.

Rainie (Xingyu) Ma graduated from University of California, Irvine in May 2017 as a major of Business Administration with emphasis in Finance and Accounting, will. She has ten years of Chinese classical dance training and has also got professional dance training in Ballet, Modern and Jazz at UCI Claire Trevor School of the Arts. Both her passion for dance and her business background lead her down to the path of arts administration. She served as Financial Manager and Sponsorship Contact for a student-run non-profit dance organization called “Shining Stars” for three years at UCI, which aims to provide free dance classes to the children in Orange County area. She was also the Social Media Coordinator for the East Meets West International Festival held at UC, Irvine. During her school years, she worked for tons of shows in stage management, house management, marketing, and ticket operations. She has determined to dedicate her life to the prosperity of the performing arts, making arts programs more available to everybody.

Thanh Nguyen graduated from the Ohio State University (2012) with a BA in Theatre, a BS in Anthropological Sciences and minored in Spanish and evolution/ecology. Recently, he completed a yearlong education fellowship at Shakespeare Theatre Company and tutors independently. Previously, he worked with Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of the Midwest, Central Community House, American Red Cross, Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics Inc. and Association for the Advancement of Filipino American Arts and Culture. Artistically, he performed with InterACT, Worthington Community Theatre, Raconteur Theatre and Lab Series. Thanh will focus on diversity/inclusion practices within arts education programs.

Natalie (Ziruo) Niu was born and raised in China. She graduated from UC San Diego with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications. Her passion for art started with her father, who used to be an artist. Throughout her three years of undergraduate studies, she developed her interest in modern art and new media. Upon graduation, she held internships in galleries, media and Public Relations. Her gallery internships gave her an opportunity to assist in coordinating shows, auctions, and press releases. Later, she joined the social media and marketing team for a pop up exhibition. Given her interests in art and business, she decided to attend the Arts Administration program at Columbia. She is eager to explore different aspects of the arts and looks forward to gaining both theoretical knowledge and practical experience.

Burcu Ozler graduated from Duke University with a double major in Philosophy and Psychology, as well as a minor in English. She has held internship positions at Borusan Contemporary, Nasher Museum, MoMA PS1 and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and worked as a floater at Sotheby’s, where she discovered her passion to engage in innovative artistic projects. Currently, she is living in Istanbul, Turkey and conducting art valuations for a private collector.

Ian Prince has lived in New York City for over three years working in many different positions as a performer and producer. After graduating from St. Mary’s College of Maryland with a degree in English and Theater, Ian participated in the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program. For three years he taught English to school children in rural Japan until returning to the United States in 2013. Acting will always remain Ian’s passion, and he is particularly interested in traditional theatrical forms from across the globe. In the future, he hopes to become involved in the increasing globalization of visual and performing arts. He is a native of the greater Washington, D.C. area.

Chad Rabago is a graduate of Chapman University where he studied Integrated Educational Studies and Organizational Leadership. He moved to the DC area to serve as an AmeriCorps VISTA at KID Museum, and following his service year worked as the Office & Volunteer Coordinator at ArtStream, Inc., a disability services arts non-profit. He has been involved in various areas of volunteer management, community outreach, and audience services at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Discovery Cube Orange County, the National Postal Museum, and Shakespeare Theatre Company. With a passion for working with volunteers, Chad is interested in civic engagement and service in the arts.

Born and raised in Chengdu, China, Yuhe Ren graduated in 2012 from Sichuan Normal University with a bachelor’s degree in Advertising. Having years of work experience at Bartle Bogle Hegarty (Shanghai), one of the most famous international advertising companies, she is particularly good at copywriting and creative event marketing. She also interned at a museum to highlight local culture and organized a successful artwork exhibition to promote cultural exchange. Before entering Teachers College, she worked at a museum of contemporary art in Chengdu, where she focused on helping young artists become known by the public, promoting business activities with art events as well as enhancing public’s awareness of art and historical knowledge.

Morgan Sapp graduated from Florida State University in 2016 with a bachelor's degree in Instrumental Music Education. Since then, she has taught music for two years in public elementary schools in Gainesville, Florida. In addition, Morgan is a dedicated oboe player who performed with two different ensembles in Gainesville. Inspired by the interactions she has had with her young students through music, Morgan joins the ARAD program with the intention to help make the performing arts affordable and accessible to all. She is interested in educational outreach as well as bringing the arts to underserved communities.

Jiawen Song holds a bachelor degree in Business Administration and major in marketing in Peking University. So far, he has interned in Harper’s Bazaar Art as a marketing department assistant, Bain’s ART MEETS AUTISM project as a part time assistant, ARTOPIA and FOU gallery as a sales assistant in 2 art fairs, CIGE and ART BEIJING and a gallery assistant in PACE BEIJING. For long, he has held the firm belief that art should be accessible to the public, stimulate curiosity and create beauty for the world instead of being limited to the privileged elites as their defined cultural capital. His aspiration to become an art administrator and join ARAD community is to bridge art with the public and the society and delve innovative models for art institutions to operate in the future.

Marie Szalkiewicz graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2015 with Bachelor's Degrees in both Art History and Communication Studies. Since starting her professional career, Marie has worked in San Francisco in both the technology and art industries. Her experience as the Trade Account Executive and Senior Art Consultant for UGallery solidified her desire to pursue a future in the visual arts and prompted her to continue her education in Arts Administration. There is nothing she desires more than to be a part of a world that connects people to their creativity, allows for new discoveries, and teaches self-expression as a vital part of life. Her ultimate goal is to return to California and repay the community by promoting artistic freedom and appreciation through urban murals and public art installations.

Mari Takeda graduated from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University with a B.M. in Percussion Performance and a minor in Business of Music. She has worked with the DC Jazz Festival and various chamber ensembles in the United States. Her experiences as a percussionist led to her passion for arts administration and she is focused on working towards diversity and inclusion in programming and venues, particularly in contemporary classical music.

Anlan Tang graduated from Emory University in 2017 with a B.B.A. degree and also a certificate of major in art history. During my college life, she was the vice president of Emory Chinese Theater Club. Anlan is always interested in exploring the similarities and difference between all kinds of art and wants to bring them together and make something new. She also wants to keep expanding my business knowledge into the art area, especially in the connection between finance and art. Through study in TC and arts administration, Anlan hopes to learn more about art markets and operation of art organizations and wishes to pursue a working path in art and arts administration.

Christine (Chujun) Tang was born and raised in Shanghai, China. She graduated cum laude from Barnard College in 2016 with a B.A. degree in Art History and Visual Arts. After graduation, she interned at James Fuentes Gallery. While completing her undergraduate studies, Christine worked as the Auction Specialist Intern at Christie’s. She is currently the marketing intern at Burberry working on event and retail marketing in Shanghai.

Taffe Tang is from Beijing, China. She graduated from Grinnell College and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Studio Art. Before she discovered her true interest in art, Taffe interned at several big financial institutions in Beijing and Hong Kong. Even then, she was looking for a way to combine both of her majors and finally it brought her here, to the Arts Administration program. She enjoys making art as much as she enjoys helping other artists. In order to have a deeper understanding of China’s art market and the art world, Taffe worked for a non-profit art museum in Beijing and then joined Artnet as a news editor. Believing in the power of higher education she decided to continue her path. She wishes to learn both the theoretical and the practical aspects of this field, and better assist and contribute in the future.

Angelica Tran graduated summa cum laude from Florida State University in 2012 with a degree in Music. Before joining the ARAD cohort, Angelica taught music in Orlando, Florida. Some of her experiences involved teaching general music in both public and private preschool and elementary schools, as well as teaching private clarinet lessons. During her spare time, she pursued volunteer opportunities with performing arts organizations in Orlando including Central Florida Community Arts and Orlando Shakespeare Theater, which helped her to develop a strong interest in arts administration. She hopes in the future to work for a performing arts organization where she can provide music opportunities that are accessible and affordable to all children.

Echo (Yifan) Wang graduated from New York University Shanghai (2017) with a BS in Interactive Media Arts, and a minor in Finance. During her undergraduate studies, she developed her interest in the practice of new media art, and created projects ranging in forms from installation to data visualization design. Her aspiration in arts administration stemmed from her internship at Museum of Contemporary Art Shanghai, where she worked closely with the curatorial team to carry out Shanghai Ever, an exhibition featuring a group of contemporary artists. She also held internships with LEO XU PROJECTS and PHOTOFAIRS, where she gained exposures to the art market. The experience has further nourished her interest in for-profit sector of visual arts. Yifan keeps insatiable curiosity about the art world, and is eager to explore diverse possibilities in the management of visual arts.

Jingzhi Wang came to the US from China four years ago to attend Vanderbilt University. She double-majored in sociology and economics, and minored in art history and studio art. During her undergraduate studies, she realized that art could function as a tool for social change. As an aspiring art administrator, she interned at Frist Art Museum and Seedspace in Nashville, and Public Art Fund in NYC. Jingzhi's major interest lies in contemporary art, but she is also eager to learn more about traditional Chinese art and artistic traditions of ethnic minorities in China.

Tingjun Wang is from China, proficient in Mandarin and Cantonese. She studied at the University of Toronto, Canada, where she earned her BA degree in Art History, Cognitive Science and Psychology. Her passion for visual arts originated from photographing and video-making. During her undergraduate study, she assisted curating exhibitions for a professional photographer, Yang Hu. She also has been working closely with the Emerging Young Artist Organization in Toronto to promote underrepresented artists through public exhibitions and live shows. By attending the ARAD program, she aims to construct a way to incorporate her knowledge in digital arts, artificial intelligence and virtual reality into arts management.

Melissa Weisberg earned her B.A. in 2014 from the University of Michigan with a focus in English Language & Literature and Art & Design. She comes to Columbia with four years working at Storefront for Art and Architecture and Novità Communications specializing in special event planning and fundraising, creative communications, public relations, and outreach strategies for the art, architecture, and design communities. Melissa looks forward to learning about executive leadership and cultural policy, and their relationship to social impact and accessibility to the arts.

Camille Weisgant graduated from Bard College in 2015 with a degree in Theatre and Asian Studies. There, her thesis involved adapting a traditional Japanese Noh play for modern audiences. Most recently Camille worked for Etsy.com where she engaged with small-business owners daily to scale their businesses. In her graduate study, she looks forward to revisiting how performance and other arts can connect viewers with different cultures, as well as how she can better support up-and-coming creatives using both her artistic sensitivity and entrepreneurial knowledge.

Lauren Williams is from Richmond, Virginia. She attended the University of Virginia where she received her BA in New Media Design and Printmaking. Her undergraduate experience in visual arts translated into work as a full time Graphic Designer and Creative Manager supporting various industries including the arts, defense, and healthcare. She is interested in developing and utilizing art and design for positive social impact.

Kathleen (Jin) Wu is a 2017 graduate of Brandeis University, where she double majored in Economics and Studio Art, minored in Business. Prior to joining the Arts Administration program, Jin has various working experiences, such as interning in Vstone Capital, Shanghai, China, and establishing Ucall Education LLC, Waltham, MA. She is currently gaining practical knowledge of the interaction of art and business as she works at T+H Gallery. Jin is particularly interested in obtaining social benefits through art projects, and she is eager to learn about combining social concerns with the process of art curating and consulting during graduate education.

Yuchen Xie grew up in Chengdu, China and came to the US as a first-generation college student. She studied Studio Art (with double concentrations in New Media and Painting) and French at the University of Virginia, where she has been making art about the human body and the compulsiveness of contemporary life. Yuchen also wrote and directed an experimental short film during her fourth year. All her artworks can be found at www.yuchenxie.net. As an undergraduate, she curated multiple art projects at the city level as the sole student leader, and enjoyed working with artists in residence. Yuchen also held two internships in the fashion industry, one in New York and another in Paris. Her life is constantly occupied with imagery- films, photography, short documentaries, collage, etc. Yuchen enjoys reading about contemporary art and surrealism, dystopian fiction, Chinese and French literature, psychology, and sociology. She loves landscapes and developed a hobby for drone photography. Yuchen hopes to engage with the film industry in New York City while pursuing her study in Arts Administration.

Sadie Yanckello graduated from Rhodes College in 2015 with a major in Art History and a minor in Sociology. She has spent the last five years in Memphis interning and then working for Crosstown Arts, a nonprofit contemporary arts organization operating visual arts, music, and performance spaces, in addition to a residency program, a theater, and a shared art-making facility. Crosstown Arts is the catalyst and main developer of a large redevelopment project, called Crosstown Concourse, that transformed a historic and abandoned Sears-Roebuck Distribution Center into a mixed-use commercial entity which began housing Crosstown Arts in 2017. This project affirmed Sadie's desire to work for alternative spaces which mix non-profit and for-profit ventures, and it also allowed her to be an integral part of a community and artist-centric organization from its incubation stages. She has grown to love developing projects, programs, exhibitions, and resources for self-defined artists as well as the surrounding community. Sadie is specifically interested in how the arts can be a tool of empowerment. She is passionate about facilitating experiences for artists and the creative communities of Memphis and other cities. She is also interested in critically analyzing how arts organizations can better act as platforms for a multiplicity of perspectives.

Phoebe (Yiu) Yin graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Southern California in 2017, majoring in Art History. She worked on her master's degree in Modern and Contemporary Asian Art program at Sotheby's Institute of Art in London from September 2017 to September 2018. Her passion for art started with a trip to Dunhuang at a young age, and she been following this passion ever since. Phoebe interned for Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena during her junior year at USC and interned for Contemporary Ink Art Department at Sotheby's Hong Kong in the summer of 2016. She is hoping to gain a diverse experience in the field of art at ARAD.

Cheer (Xiyuan) Zhang came from China and graduated from Nankai University in 2017, majoring in Sociology and minoring in International Economics & Trade. Interested in the relationship between urban sociology and arts, Xiyuan interned in various art organizations, including the local art museum, a private art spaces and Visual Art Department in the Cultural Ministry. These experiences let her learn about the power of non-profit art organizations, which can help the society to rebuild its own spirit also develop its own culture brand. So subsequent to her graduate studies, she dreams to implement her training to administer an art museum that will garner both national and international prestige. Although it sounds impossible, she believes that her study in TC will help her dream come true.

Megan Zhang graduated from New York University in 2018 with a B.M. in Music Education and a minor in Global Education. Megan interned in the education department at the New York Philharmonic, the concert halls department at Lincoln Center, and the development department at VH1 Save The Music Foundation. She hopes to advocate for music education programs in NYC DOE public schools and wishes to continue her work in creating community engagement programming for non-profit performing arts organizations.

Chloe Zhao graduated from the Johns Hopkins University, majoring in Art History and minoring in Visual Arts. Her interest in Asian art stemmed from her independent research project on Chinese Modernism in college. Through her internship and volunteer experiences in galleries, auction houses and press and media in cities like Shanghai, Paris and New York, she is further intrigued to explore the development and globalization of the Asian art market. Chloe speaks native Chinese and fluent French, thanks to a one-year study abroad experience in Paris. The integration of practical and academic exercises at the Arts Administration program attracts her the most, and she hope to pursue a career in art advisory, focusing on Asian modern and contemporary art upon graduation from the program.

Yajie Zheng earned her B.A. in art history from Cornell University with minor in business and fine arts in 2016. To explore both non-profit and for-profit art enterprises, she took internships in Metropolitan Museum of Art in exhibition design and Christie’s New York South Asian Modern+- Contemporary department. Before joining ARAD, she worked with the renowned Chinese artist Xu Bing as assistant producer for the artist’s first feature film Dragonfly Eyes, an award-winning movie made solely of found surveillance footage. Through the ARAD program, she aims to research and promote the breeding of art and technology as catalyst for social change.