COUNCIL 2024-2025

Liz is a third-year CDP student in the library and information sciences concentration at the Faculty of Information. Now in her third year on MUSSA, she is exciting to continue Council's outreach and community development initiatives for all MMSt and CDP students within the faculty.
She has previously held the positions of First-Year Representative and Social Assistant, and is excited to continue as President this year.  When not at U of T, she can usually be found exploring Toronto, or chilling with her cats, a good book or film, and a large cup of tea. Liz is always excited to talk to students, and her email is always open.

Blurb to come!

Katelyn Law is a first-year CDP student with a concentration in archives and record management in the Faculty of Information. She holds a B.A&Sc. from McGill University in Montreal, where she studied Anthropology/Archaeology and Biology. Her interest in museums stems from her childhood and being enthralled by natural history, but more importantly, dinosaurs and fossils! Particularly her favourite dinosaurs are the Triceratops genus, as their distinctive three horns make them very unique. She hopes to be able to bring her passion for museums to the MUSSA committee.

Niki Wickramasinghe is a student in the Master of Museum Studies program at the University of Toronto, with a BA in History, Political Science, and Material Culture. She currently works at the Art Museum at the University of Toronto as a Gallery Assistant and has previously worked at its sister museum, the Doris McCarthy Gallery. As Treasurer, she hopes to maintain MUSSA’s financial transparency and mobilise funds for further student programming and supports. In her free time, she can be found watching cartoons with her cat or haunting the rare cafe that serves her favourite Lavender London Fog latte… Feel free to ask her any questions in-person or via e-mail.She only bites sometimes.

Van Gonzales is a Master of Museum Studies Student at the University of Toronto and holds a Bachelor of Arts Education from the University of Regina. As an emerging professional experienced in grade school arts education and museum program development and delivery, he is committed to advancing representation and inclusivity through education in museums. He's particularly intrigued by the potential of synergizing schools and museums to create more enriching learning experiences, firmly believing in the transformative power of immersive education. Beyond that, Van Gonzales is also the #3 ranked tennis player within his friend group, a collector of art books he might read one day and a sore monopoly loser. Don't hesitate to say hello!

Alexis Green is a first year MMst student and holds a Bachelor's in Art History and Museum Curatorial Studies. She is very excited about the events to come from MUSSA in the 2024-25 school year. She is enamoured with the world of art and museums, when discussing her studies with others she is often asked if she has a backup plan, and the answer is absolutely not, it's art or nothing. Outside of school she loves drawing, reading, and watching scary movies. 

Iris Wu is a second year Master of Museum Studies student at the iSchool, fueled by a passion for museums and curation. She holds a BA in Anthropology and Visual Arts from St. Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Iris has nurtured her ambition to become a curator since middle school. Her journey into the museum world is complemented by a diverse range of interests, from exploring culinary delights to immersing herself in novels and spending quality time with her beloved animal siblings, Cheeto and Bagel. In addition to her academic pursuits, Iris brings a creative flair and a dedication to community engagement to the MUSSA family. As our lead in managing the council's social media platforms, Iris ensures our Instagram and Facebook accounts reflect our vibrant community. With her enthusiasm and commitment, Iris is poised to make a meaningful impact within the MMSt program and beyond.

Iulia is a 1st year MMSt student with a background in archaeology. Her interests lie in critical issues, identity-making with objects, and museums as a setting for advocacy and activism. Her dream is to create queer spaces that visualize, preserve, and celebrate the resilience of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Outside of the classroom, she loves thrifting and curating fashion for the big and curvy girls, collecting David Bowie vinyls (as many as her wallet will allow), and cooking for her loved ones. Iulia is so excited to join the MUSSA family and bring her bright energy and enthusiasm to this year’s council!

Wenyi Shi is a soon-to-be second year student in the Master of Museum Studies program. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Art degree in Advertising from the School of Visual Arts, where she learned to transform creativity into executed art and design. She loves to explore and experiment with new mediums of art, and is looking forward to integrating her aesthetics into the GLAM industry. She is a one-hundred-percent cat person, refuses to make a choice between coffee and tea, and owns miscellaneous hobbies including archery, fan-fiction, calligraphy, nail-art, fashion design, and collecting. She came to Toronto (and Canada) in August 2023, so she’d love to hear recommendations of fun places to go to. She is excited to be a part of MUSSA. As the Second Year Representative, she is committed to be the listener of student voice, offer friendship and support, and contribute her energy and innovations to the student community.

Ashley is a second year CDP student in the archive and records management concentration. She previously completed a M.A. at Concordia University, where she studied Soviet History through World Fairs, and a B.A. at McGill University. As someone passionate about accessibility, education and history, museums have been a great space for her three interests to combine. She hopes that, through MUSSA and future work in the field, she can help create more inclusive spaces and foster community connections. While she is not as gifted in the art of the gab, she loves to listen and learn about other people and their experiences. Outside of school, Ashley can be found playing indie video games, watching musicals and thinking up different art projects.

Interested? Send us an email at mussa.ischool@gmail.com.
 

Alison is in her third year of the Combined Degree Program at the Faculty of Information. Her interests are focused on decolonisation and conciliative actions. Alison graduated from the University of Toronto with an undergraduate degree in Social Sciences and pursued a master’s degree at the University of Edinburgh in early medieval religious material culture. Her lifelong journey playing lacrosse at home in Canada and abroad have presented questions of Indigenous oppression through the use of sport, and how it is still at play in archives and in other settler-based record keeping institutions - she is now looking to pursue these questions. Reparative actions topic have become her primary research interest and she plans to continue in this direction with future study at the doctorate level. In her free time she can be found cooking, embroidering and playing with her parrot Rufus.