Rae Zhang (b. 1996) is currently pursuing her Master of Information degree with dual concentration in Information Systems Design and Archives Management at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Information. Her academic and professional work focuses on developing user-friendly digital preservation systems for archival institutions.
Born and raised in Henan, China, Zhang attended the International School of Qiushi (ISQS), where she earned Student of the Year honors in both 2012 and 2013. She also won the first place in the school's 2013 Creative Showcase.
In 2014, Zhang began her post-secondary education at the University of Alberta as an international student. After facing challenges with cultural adjustment and enduring severe depression, Zhang withdrew from the University of Alberta after six months of study. She spent time in Los Angeles with family before returning to Canada in 2015. Re-enrolling at the University of Alberta, she pursued a major in Art History with a minor in Art and Cultural Management. Zhang later transferred to MacEwan University, earning her Diploma in Art and Cultural Management in 2019. Her practicum at the Royal Alberta Museum in 2019, where she managed public education collections, first sparked her interest in records management.
After graduation, Zhang developed her professional skills through client service roles at the Bank of Montreal while establishing her permanent residence in Canada (2020-2021). In 2022, she enrolled in the University of Toronto's Bachelor of Information program, gaining interdisciplinary expertise in UX/UI design, cultural technology, and data science.
During her Bachelor of Information program, Zhang completed a practicum at the Provincial Archives of Alberta (PAA) as an archives assistant. Having a chance to work directly with archival materials, she recognized the sector is facing a transition from paper to digital, and archies is looking for more accessible solutions for managing digital records. This work experience directly informed her current graduate research focus on developing user-centered archival systems that address contemporary digital preservation challenges.
Beyond her academic and professional pursuits, Zhang maintains active interests in fencing, tennis, and golf, and has been involved in animal rescue advocacy efforts in China.
Jade Zhu (朱郁淇) was born in 1999 in Zhengzhou, China. She attended Huzhulu Primary School and Zhengzhou Experimental Foreign Language Middle School. During her senior year in middle school, Jade briefly moved to New Zealand to attend language school.
In August 2014, Jade moved in with the LaPlants in Poughkeepsie, New York and started attending high school at Our Lady of Lourdes High School. During which Jade participated in various sports teams and started to take interests in game development. After 3 years, Jade graduated high school and started attending Boston University in 2017, pursuing a degree in Computer Engineering. During her years in Boston, Jade was a member of the Boston University FAE Racing club and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. She briefly worked as an usher at Agganis Arena before Covid shut down. Upon obtaining her degree in 2021, she attended the State University of New York in Binghamton for a degree in Psychology. She worked at the Binghamton University Speaking Center as a consultant in 2023.
Beginning in September 2024, Jade moved to Toronto, Canada, to study archive and record management at the University of Toronto.
Outside of her academic life, Jade enjoys various creative activities including photography, creative writing, making fabric arts and airplane models. She is also an avid sports fan, enjoying watching old recordings and making score cards.
. Ankomah would graduate from A.Y Jackson Secondary School in 2020 and would begin to attend Toronto Metropolitan University (then Ryerson University).
Ankomah would major in History before transferring to the Criminology and History major in 2021. During her time at Toronto Metropolitan University, Ankomah would continue to develop her interest from highschool by taking a variety of Criminology and History courses related to the treatment and experiences of in Black Canadian and American history. During her third year at Toronto Metropolitan University, Ankomah would take a course focused on archives where her interest began to shift into archival activism through giving greater access to Black Canadians to archival material as a means of bringing social change in archives.