Student Profiles

Natalie Burrows graduated from Nazareth College of Rochester in 2017 where she studied Music, German, and Music History. After graduating, she served as an English Teaching Assistant in Braunschweig, Germany through the Fulbright Program. Since then, Natalie has been working as the Company Manager for Finger Lakes Opera. She ultimately hopes to promote equality and equity via cultural education and dialogue through the arts.

Demi (Tin Yiu) Chan graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. degree in Art History and a minor in Business from Brandeis University, where she was elected as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Before Brandeis, she studied at Maryland Institute College of Art and became interested in the interactions around artworks. She had internships at China Guardian Auctions in Beijing and Sotheby’s in Hong Kong. After graduation, she interned at galleries in New York. By pursuing the arts administration degree at TC, Demi wants to leverage her experience and knowledge in studio art and art history to promote the connections between artists and their audiences. She is seeking new concepts to provide better access of art to the general public. 

Sabrina (Ming Jia) Chen graduated from the University of Toronto in 2019 with a BA in History of Art and Anthropology. Throughout her undergraduate career, she has worked primarily with private collectors in the realms of curating, collections management and exhibition planning. She has worked to plan events that link private collectors with provincial Chinese governments in an effort to engage local communities using resources thus unavailable in the public sector of art exhibition. With a particular passion for Chinese decorative arts throughout history, she is interested in exploring the structural issues that stifle the exchange of art and education in the arts. She hopes to take advantage of the interdisciplinary nature of the ARAD program and to promote cultural education through sustainable means.

Christine (Yu-Hsuan) Chuang graduated from the University of Oxford (United Kingdom) in 2018 where she earned a Master’s degree in World Literatures in
English. Her research experience ranges from postcolonial studies, dance theories, bibliography, multilingualism, and life-writing. She was inspired by the development of transitional justice in cultural organizations in Berlin when she was an exchange student at the Free University of Berlin in Germany. Originally from Taiwan, she is eager to transform her passion for arts, literature, and postcolonial studies into a career that focuses on advocating transitional justice (especially postcolonial cities like Taipei) through museum education and community engagement. In future, she hopes to create forums for different historical interpretations, raise the public’s awareness and open new conversations that identify truth and foster reconciliation.

Cornelia Clay graduated cum laude from the University of Vermont in 2015, earning her BA in Art and Art History, Phi Beta Kappa, and the Departmental Honors award for Art History. During her studies, Cornelia interned with the Director of UVM’s Fleming Museum and also worked as a gallery coordinator and intern for the Burlington City Arts Center, contributing to a variety of exhibitions and community focused programming. Upon moving to Austin, TX Cornelia interned with various Austin-based arts organizations and at The Contemporary Austin conducting provenance research. Cornelia has since continued her curatorial work at Twyla, a contemporary art and technology startup. Having experience in both nonprofit and for-profit companies, Cornelia looks forward to developing her skills as an arts leader in order to promote a more equitable cultural economy that better serves working artists and the public.

Lia Alexandra de Souza Sanchez graduated from UCL (University College London) in 2018 with a Bachelor’s degree in the History of Art with Material Studies. Her work experience thus far includes working at local museums, a contemporary art gallery and two conservation labs. She believes that art has the power to create a positive social impact on communities and is therefore interested in finding ways to support and promote non-funded artistic institutions and in making art accessible to all. 

Originally from Tennessee, John Gattis graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Music in 2006 before attending Stony Brook University where he earned both his Masters and Doctorate in Musical Arts in Horn Performance. As a performer John works in a variety of styles and has performed with groups such as the West Point Band, Radio City Orchestra, International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), and the Daejong Philharmonic. He is particularly passionate about contemporary music and is the founder of several new chamber ensembles with whom he has worked closely with a number of composers and premiered dozens of new works. As an educator he serves on the music faculty at the Dwight-Englewood School and the Tennessee Valley Music Festival and enjoys working with both young performers and composers. In addition to teaching and performing John also works at the Bloomingdale School of Music which is where he first discovered his interest in arts administration. Through his various professional experiences John has developed a passion for expanding access and diversity within the arts and is excited to be joining the ARAD program where he hopes to learn more about policy and leadership in order to affect positive change.

Liliana Guerrero Delgado studied Business Administration at Los Andes University in Bogotá Colombia. After graduation, Liliana worked as a research assistant in the university and later joined the Alternative Contents division in Cine Colombia, her country’s largest cinema exhibitor and distributor. In this role, she distributed live events in cinemas such as New York’s Metropolitan Opera, London’s National Theatre productions and Moscow’s Bolshoi Ballet amongst others. Liliana aims to work in the public sector in order to promote the strengthening of artistic endeavors by demonstrating the socioeconomic impact of this industry, making the cultural sector a key-contributor to Colombia’s development.

Celina (Xiangyuan) Hang graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from New York University in 2019 with an academic concentration in Fashion Business and a minor in Media, Culture, and Communication. She was born in a family where both of her parents are professional artists, and she has been drawn to the connection between art and fashion. In order to gain more practical experience of the industry, she interned at Christian Louboutin, PR Consulting, and Moda Operandi. She has recently launched her own jewelry brand Dusty Duet in 2018 and looks forward to collaborating with young artists in the future. She firmly believes that fashion is a form of art which people use to express themselves. Moreover, she is eager to explore all different aspects of art at ARAD.

Qianhe Ji graduated from Peking University, majoring in Art History and Sociology. She is always interested in exploring the wider and deeper connection between art and society, and trying to bridge the gap between the art and the public. To help more audience better appreciate art works through exhibitions, she aspired to get involved in curating. Prior to graduation, she was a co-curator of Humanoid Monsters in History held in Peking University, and she interned as curatorial assistant at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA) in Peking. And she organized weekend salons and planned public lectures in an art center to help more people learn about contemporary art. Through the ARAD program, Qianhe looks forward to accumulating more experience in contemporary curatorial practice, and operating art education projects to pass on the knowledge of arts to the public.

Ariel (Yuxin) Li graduated magna cum laude with a BS in Accounting from the University of Alabama and an AAS in Fashion Design from the Parsons School of Design in 2016. Over the last three years she worked as an Account Manager with COSMOPOLITAN China and has volunteered as an Art Education Administrator creating online teaching content for a non-profit startup. Besides, she teaches fashion history and fashion marketing classes during her spare time. As a graduate student with a strong fashion background, she hopes to focus on improving her understanding of visual arts together with exploring both marketing and fundraising strategies in Arts Administration. She is very excited to start her journey to explore more possibilities in Teachers College, Columbia University.

Yaqi Liu earned her BFA in Theatre Studies with a minor in Business from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. During college, Yaqi has founded the first independent theatre group in the Mandarin-speaking community of her university. She worked as production manager and stage manager, which inspired her enthusiasm for a diverse performing arts industry. Yaqi is looking forward to studying the entrepreneurship and business track of arts administration in the market of inter-cultural theatre production.

Guadalupe Lobeto was born in Buenos Aires. In 2018 she graduated summa cum laude from Universidad de San Andrés (Argentina) with a degree in Humanities. While a student she worked as a research assistant for the Philosophy Department at her university and interned at the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Latin American Museum of Art in Buenos Aires. It was thanks to those experiences that she grasped the idea that cultural institutions are spaces that can actively contribute to positive changes in society. After graduating she was accepted for an Internship at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, and most recently has been working at a Film Production Company. Guadalupe looks forward to joining the Arts Administration program to learn how to create responsible cultural management strategies, that are profitable, interdisciplinary and that promote inclusion.

Vera (Jiawen) Long graduated from University of California, San Diego in June 2019 with a major in Theatre Arts and minor in Business. Vera found her love for arts at a very young age. Born and raised in Chengdu, China, she started with traditional Chinese painting at 6 and then developed her interests in sketching and oil painting. She also has learned Latin dance for three years. As the president and founder of Hot Meal Program, she has been using arts to create more opportunities as well as a better life for children in poor areas in China. She believes that arts can be a fantastic medium for people to connect and bond with each other, to make minorities’ voices heard and to make the society more equitable. By joining ARAD, Vera hopes to promote arts to a wider range of audience and use arts to contribute to a better world.  

Jialiang (David) Luo was born and raised in Beijing. He participated in a transnational program where he earned a dual bachelor’s degree in Economics and Arts from China and the
United States. He majored in global cultural trade at Beijing International Studies University and graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a concentration in visual
arts management. As a collaborative pianist, he has been playing with orchestras and choirs for most of his life, while striving to become a solo concert player. Because of his
passion for performing arts as a student, he co-founded VIGO Social, an organization that plans and holds local performing events for students in Beijing. He also interned at the Arts Education department of Tianqiao Performing Arts Center, which inspired him to attend the Arts Administration program at Teachers College. His vision is to enable people of all demographics to enjoy the benefits of art by integrating business and education.

Richard Mayer graduated from Tulane University in New Orleans with a degree in Theatre and History. After graduating he worked as a venue owner, producer, administrator and actor in New Orleans. Serving as Executive Director for Old Marquer Theatre, he grew the organization into the busiest live theatre in the region and headed the theatre's successful in-house productions. He is Co-Producer of NOLA Nerdlesque Festival, a pop-culture parody burlesque festival, and an advisor for New Orleans Infringe Theatre Fest. For his efforts supporting and growing the performance scene, he was named 2012 Times-Picayune New Orleans Theatre Person of the Year. Recently, Richard served as Festival Assistant for Music in the Mountains, a classical music festival in Durango, Colorado now in its 33rd year. 

Magdalena Polak is from Vienna, Austria. She received her BA in Art History and Russian from St. Andrews University in Scotland. Always interested in establishing cross-references, as an Undergraduate, she focussed on comparing Medieval with Twentieth Century art; particularly looking into sensory experience during Catholic Mass and comparing it with sensory stimulation during Performance Art from the 1960s. Being as passionate about the performing as she is about the visual arts, Magdalena is
committed to the idea of the art forms’ consistent support for each other and considers them interlinked. Prior to joining the ARAD program, she interned at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Collection Friedrichshof and the Kunsthistorisches Museum, as well as spending six months
studying in St. Petersburg.

At Columbia, she particularly looks forward to focussing on Education and Marketing, and hopes to explore profit organisations operating visual arts, music, and performance arts.
Magdalena is pursuing the dream of making the arts more accessible to audiences, and is passionate about creating communities through a united passion for culture. A keen cook, she also intends to spend her time in New York City immersing herself in all the culinary options it has to offer.

Isabella Rivera Ruiz was born and raised in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. Recently, she graduated from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez where she finished a BBA in Marketing and a Minor in Art. In her former professional experience, she has worked with non-profits, for-profits, startups, charities, and managed/organized various volunteering groups around her community. Her current focus encompasses working closely with Latinx/Hispanic artists in PR as well as other underrepresented groups of artists in order to share their stories through her blog and help expose their art at a global scale. Her latest venture involved volunteering at the Museum of Art at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez and is most enthusiastic to hone her business skills and art advocacy within the Arts Administration program. Today, Isabella’s interests lie with museum education, equity in the arts, social justice, and making a difference within the dynamic art sector of NYC’s diverse community.

Jessica Salomon is a choreographer, writer, and educator from Princeton, New Jersey and Houston, Texas. She graduated with a B.A. in 2017 from New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study, where she combined her passions for dance, fiction, psychology, and education into a concentration centered around the manifestations of narrative through word and movement. After graduating, she taught in the Houston public school system where she realized her greatest passion was making sure that all kids had access to an arts education and an artistic outlet. She looks forward engaging in this important conversation at Teachers' College.

Ayano Sato graduated from the University of Tokyo with a degree in Master of Arts in International Relations, Advanced Social and International Studies. After graduation, she joined the New National Theatre Tokyo, which is the sole national theater in Japan dedicated to producing the contemporary performing arts of opera, ballet, dance and drama. Having worked in general affairs, policy planning and opera production as a senior production administrator, she has contributed to the success of several productions. Ayano aims to develop fundraising skills and to execute arts education programs.

Cornelia (Tiantian) Wang earned her BA from the School of Journalism and Communication at Peking University in 2016. Obsessed with both arts and mode, Cornelia contributed to T Magazine during her undergraduate years, focusing on art projects supported by high fashion maison. Prior to graduate studies, she worked at the West Bund Art Fair in Shanghai and Guanghua Art and Management Research Center, specializing in patronage and funding within contemporary art. Cornelia’s background in urban dancing, painting and installation shapes her way of seeing art as “the poetic daily must-have”. Upon joining ARAD, she expects the program will enhance her understanding of the role that capital plays in affecting the contemporary art chain.

Fei Wang was born and raised in Beijing, China. She holds a Bachelor degree in Communication with a minor in International Studies from Boston College. Through her undergraduate program, she studied abroad at King’s College London, where she focused on Digital Culture. Growing up playing the piano and singing in choirs, Fei is dedicated to advocating for the performing arts. She has worked as the Director of Marketing and Media for the Madrigal Singers and interned at UNESCO’s “World Atlas of Language” project to fulfill her passion for music and arts marketing. She also interned at LinkedIn in 2017, doing public relations and marketing for the Chinese market. With a diverse background in music performance, arts technology, and marketing, Fei hopes to integrate her passion and skills to advocate for performing arts and spread love and justice to a broader audience.

Alina (Yijia) Yang graduated from the University of Rochester with a BS in Business and a BA in Studio Arts. She has interned at How Art Museum (Shanghai, China) and The Kitchen (Chelsea, NY) in their curatorial and marketing departments. Most recently, she worked as the undergraduate director for the Hartnett Gallery at the University of Rochester. Through her undergraduate studies and her internship experiences, she has decided to become not solely a marketing strategist or an artist, but one who bridges the two fields and supports the well-being of our current art environment. For her graduate studies, she hopes to further develop her curatorial practice with a focus on the therapeutic value of art. She also wants to explore the legitimation process in the arts, and art’s influence on shaping cultural interpretation and diminishing inequalities.

Lavinia (Yufei) Zhao graduated from New York University in 2018 with a major in Art history as well as a minor in psychology. During her undergraduate years, Lavinia has interned at Westwood gallery in New York University, as well as worked as a gallery assistant at George Billis Gallery. Before coming to the US at the age of 14, Lavinia was born and raised in Beijing, China, where she had a deep connection culturally. Joining the ARAD program at Teachers College will help strengthen her understanding of the operations of art businesses and organizations, which she wishes to utilize in the future providing intercultural relationships in the art world between her home country and the US.

Tianyi Zhu is a Chinese born, LA-based artist who has graduated from UCLA with a BA degree in psychology and a minor in cognitive science. She has worked on multiple theatrical production presented presented at Hollywood Fringe, Company Creation Festival hosted by SOS Theatre, an original Chinese verbatim production NoWhere, an adaptation of Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman, and Chinese play I(Him + Her).

She also worked as a performing arts curator at Ming Contemporary Art Museum in Shanghai and assisted in producing the performing installation, Tulu by Pierre Redon and his team. She always finds great purpose in creating opportunities for underrepresented artists to devise work, in helping others find their voice, and sharing that voice with those most in need of diverse perspective.

Michelle (Xin) Liu was born and raised in Shenzhen, China. In May 2019, she graduated cum laude from Mount Holyoke College where she majored in Art History and minored in Economics. Prior to graduation, she has interned in the art consultant and sales team at Artron Art Center. She has also interned at Gap. Inc and Esquire, doing visual merchandising and digital marketing. She is interested in both art and fashion and wishes to explore more possibilities in the field of art.