ARAD is delighted to welcome Demi Zhao as our new Social Media Coordinator. Learn more about Demi, her goals for her new role, and what she does outside of TC.

Tell us a bit about yourself. Where are you from? What was your undergraduate degree focused on?

I was born in Nantong, China. After 8th grade, when I was 14, I began my study abroad journey in Waterbury, Connecticut for high school, followed by Paris and New York for undergraduate studies at New York University. With passion and curiosity for historical narratives and hands-on creative processes, I double majored in Art History and French, with minors in Psychology, Studio Art, and Digital Art & Design.

What previous experiences have led you to your current role?

Prior to coming to TC, I held various internship positions at PR & Advertising agencies, such as Ogilvy and Hill+Knowlton, where I developed skills in digital campaign, project management, social media engagement, and creating client-facing materials. I also worked as a part-time writer at Musée Magazine, writing columns on Architecture and avant-garde photography exhibition reviews. Additionally, I served as a Gallery Assistant at Fu Qiumeng Fine Art, writing press releases and curating content for various social media platforms for both domestic and international audiences.

How have those experiences informed your current professional path?

Visual communication has played a key role in my past career path and will continue to do so in my future endeavors. Whether it’s creating written or visual content for a gallery’s online presence, targeting specific consumers in a commercial brand’s marketing campaign, or appealing to art lovers and the like with contemporary art, these elements interlace and coalesce into an interdisciplinary web of communication and knowledge. This web deeply informs my approach to shaping a unique voice that communicates ARAD’s institutional values and aims to build a close-knit community. It’s a precious time capsule where alumni, current, and prospective students resonate and build links.

What are you looking forward to in taking on this role?

As a student who has spent several months in the program and has gotten to know the current cohorts, faculty, staff, and some of the alumni, I look forward to creating a variety of digital content that celebrates students’ talents and successes, connects past, current, and prospective students, and utilizes my previous experience in digital content creation to build a lively community that everyone enjoys reading and sharing.

What do you do outside of your time at TC?

I always enjoy taking some time off to stroll through New York’s galleries, shoot film with my Contax, pat my cat when I get home, and hop on a snowboarding trip during the winter season.

Wenjie (Demi) Zhao (ARAD ’25) is currently pursuing her M.A. in Arts Administration at Teachers College, Columbia University. She graduated from New York University with double majors in Art History and French, and minors in Psychology, Studio Art, and Digital Art & Design. She has worked with various arts and cultural organizations, including FITZ & CO, Arts Admin Next, the NYU Department of Art History, Fu Qiumeng Fine Art, Musée Magazine, The Armory Show, and Art in Odd Places.