Ruth Chang is a co-founder of Midstory, a nonprofit thinkhub based in Toledo with a mission to progress the Midwest narrative by incubating bright, diverse and interdisciplinary thinkers to exchange ideas and envision the future of our region through multimedia storytelling and solutions-oriented research. She currently oversees the organization’s design and editing operations and coordinates young people programming and partnerships. She also advises on neighborhood planning projects and sits on the board of the Toledo Design Collective. Before Midstory, Ruth worked as a designer at a Boston-based architecture and planning firm focused on community-centered and affordable housing solutions. Prior to that, she has diverse design work experience in cities such as Taipei, Shanghai and Paris. Ruth received a B.A. in Architecture from Princeton University and a M.Arch from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design.

“After spending 10 years on a track toward professional architecture, I realized that meaningful pursuits and contributions to the world require a creative and brave leap of faith into the unknown. I asked myself, ‘Where would my education and experience make the most difference?’ It might be in places that are broken, that are struggling, but are valuable; that's a place worth making my home. That’s when I took the initiative to start Midstory back in my hometown in Ohio.

I was first introduced to GradFUTURES through a Princeton Ph.D. student volunteering with our organization. As a Princeton alumna, with two other co-founders also being alumni, I’m excited to meet and reconnect with more bright minds on campus."

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