WHAT IS RANI?
ra·ni
Definition
/räˈnē,ˈränē/
a ruler in their own right.
RANI Creative is a collective that releases issues on a bi-monthly basis. It fosters a community that encourages creative exploration and has different themes highlighted in each issue. It serves to represent BIPOC and LGBTQ+ creatives, and the community among them. Our founder created RANI with the belief that surrounding yourself with the creatives that you aspire to be and learning from them is much more productive than being envious of them. That is the purpose that she hopes RANI will serve.
Executives
Imaan Rajan
FOUNDER,
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
(She/her/hers) Imaan Rajan is a sophomore at the University of Toronto, and the founder and Editor-in-Chief of this creative collective. She spends time exploring as many art mediums as she can, from singing to writing to photography. As a Muslim-American artist, she found that there was not nearly enough representation around her, and through RANI, she wanted to create space and foster a community where this representation could flourish.
VICE PRESIDENT,
MANAGING EDITOR
Marta
Anielska
(They, them, theirs) Marta is an undergraduate at the University of Toronto specializing in English. Their major interests include literature, classics, and politics. In their free time, they write fiction and non-fiction and publishes articles for the news section of The Varsity, U of T’s student newspaper. They joined RANI because they think it’s important to facilitate and expand platforms that offer people the opportunity to create for the sake of creating.
Jena
Sheth
LOGISTICS
DIRECTOR
(She/her/hers) As a 21-year-old from the United Kingdom. Jena’s creative outlets include theatre and Bollywood dance, where she enjoys directing and choreographing, respectively. Starting her RANI journey as a follower, Jena has now become an executive, where she uses her skills and experiences to ensure growth for the collective. Growing up Muslim and Hindu, Jena is inspired by the representation RANI provides and looks forward to the collective’s big and bright future.
HEAD OF MARKETING & DESIGN
Ashiana
Sunderji
(She/her/hers) An 18-year-old fashion blogger, Ashiana recently gave a TED-Ed talk about youth finding their identity through community service. She has worked on collaborative Instagram posts with Mejuri and blog posts with TED-Ed Weekend in New York and Uncommon Goods. Additionally, She enjoys working under a physiotherapist teaching swimming to children with cognitive and physical challenges. She is excited to explore diverse expressions of art and help to empower more representation in the media.
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Vanessa
Wyckoff
WEB DESIGN & UX
(She/her/hers) RANI’s UX/visual designer. Vanessa’s professional experience includes working on a $10,000,000 app from the ground up. She was a part of the team creating a promotional advertisement campaign of "Guided Prayers" with Justin Bieber to bring in over 50 million views and thousands of converted app downloads. She loves to connect with others and believes “We are all in this world together and need to find beauty in our differences instead of rejecting them.”
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Kelsi
Lee
CO-HEAD OF INTERNAL RELATIONS
(She/her/hers) A student at Queen’s University where she is studying international development, psychology, and business. With twelve years of dance experience, creativity and the arts have always provided a safe outlet for her to express herself. the best part about joining RANI is the people she has met and the inspiration they have provided. She is thankful she has found a space where she can pursue her creative endeavors while also challenging herself as an artist.
Serena
Halani
CO-HEAD OF INTERNAL RELATIONS
(She/her/hers) Serena is a recent graduate of the Journalism program at Carleton University, as well as a fashion-based digital creator and photographer. She wishes to learn more about her passions every day, namely social media and photography. Currently based in Toronto, she hopes to continue to explore many places in the world, doing what she loves.
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Emily
Granken
HEAD OF
EXTERNAL RELATIONS
(She/her/hers) Emily is passionate about mental health and sustainable living and is an environmental protection/climate change activist. She has participated in multiple climate change protests, habitat restoration, and worked at a farm and conservation center. As a woman in STEM, she knows the importance of women having a medium to express themselves and share their interests.
Board Members
Dima
Minkin
CONTENT
COORDINATOR
(She/her/hers)
FINANCE
Maya
Silverman
(She/her/hers)
FINANCE
Stephanie
Huang
(She/her/hers)
MARKETING
& DESIGN
Dylan
Alfi
(ANY PROUNOUNS)
MARKETING
& DESIGN
Aleena
Zaidi
(She/her/hers)
Hanna
Afrasiabi
MARKETING
& DESIGN
(She/her/hers)
MARKETING AND DESIGN
(She/her/hers)
Ariel Myint
Editorial
TEAM LEAD: HELAYNA RAFFAELE
Leilani Rocha
Christina Giuggio
Marta Anielska
Darragh Clayton
Sarah Feng
Anika Kapoor
Sabeen Raja
Zahra Onsori
Charlie Iris
Fashion & Lifestyle
TEAM LEAD: ROYA ADEL
Mishaal Jamal
Kelsi Lee
Rinjila Pradhan
Mantika Mehra
Katy Bordonaro
Visual
TEAM LEAD: ASVJIA JEYANDRAKUMAR
Camryn Phipps
Media
TEAM LEAD: ERAM LEE
Keianna Lee
Hanna Afrasiabi
Noorain Patel
Maddie McDougal
Maya Morriswala
Muzna Erum
Spotlight
TEAM LEAD: AISHANI MEHRA
Ananya Gupta
Desiree Nikfardjam