Renae Youngs was born and attended school in Madison/Wisconsin. After a long career as eager young student and museum visitor, her first professional historical experience was serving as her high school’s first-ever student archivist in 2000 and 2001. This project included hands-on learning about the preservation, exhibition and cataloging of artifacts, as well as the stories behind them, and inspired a long-term interest. As a student at Grinnell College in Grinnell/Iowa, she added breadth and depth to that interest with a liberal arts curriculum, history courses and research focusing on material culture, and museum studies coursework. After graduating with a BA in history in May 2005, Renae moved to Minneapolis, where she became thoroughly excited to work with TRACES to further its educational and story-sharing goals, as well as to continue her own, hands-on learning through practical application.