Jessy Lee Saas (she/her) is a PhD Candidate in the Department of History and is currently the Co-Lab Coordinator. Jessy Lee started in the Co-Lab as a research lead on the oral history project titled: “Our History is Our Foundation: Honouring Ilarion Ukrainian Residents” with Ilarion Residence Retirement Home (2022-2023). Now, Jessy Lee oversees the day-to-day operations of the Co-Lab and supports students in their research. 

Jessy Lee’s PhD dissertation looks at Canadian prairie history with a focus on Indigenous and settler relationships during the early homesteading period. Specifically, her work challenges settler nation-building narratives and identities by repositioning them within the context of settler colonialism. When not in an archive, Jessy Lee likes hanging out with her cats and enjoying a cup of coffee. In the last few years, Jessy Lee started teaching herself to bake by watching old episodes of The Great British Bake Off - it is working to various degrees of success.