Parts of the interview have been edited for clarity and length.\u00a0<\/p>

As you are pursuing a PhD in Clinical Psychology at Harvard, what has brought you to this point in your life?\u00a0\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>

I have always been deeply introspective from the time I was young. I remember writing in my journal that I was going to be a psychologist. I really love combining my academic passions with my proclivity toward introspection and first-person inquiry. Psychology research is where my inner investigations express themselves. It’s a combination of being a school nerd and being curious about what\u2019s happening in my mind that led me to pursue a PhD.<\/span><\/p>

How did you enter the field of mindfulness? What led you on that path of becoming a contemplative scholar?<\/i><\/b><\/p>

I think a lot of it stems from my own interest in my introspective process. Around the time when I was 18, contemplation really became codified as a practice. I was first drawn to meditation as a form of stress relief as I went to Harvard for undergrad. It was not just the outer stress of being in the most elite academic environment, but also the inner stress of \u2018imposter syndrome\u2019 and insecurity. It led me to go inwards and figure out what was happening. That led me toward contemplative practice. Over time, I\u2019ve questioned how I could make a life in which I could center my contemplative practice; clinical psychology research is that answer, for the time being.<\/span><\/p>

Were you involved with any undergraduate research in contemplative sciences?<\/i><\/b><\/p>

Not at all. I was drawn to contemplative research later. I was figuring out what I wanted to do in undergrad and also research didn\u2019t seem like a place for me. Research generally is not geared toward folks from my background. It wasn’t a place where I saw myself. When I was an undergrad, I was mainly focused on securing a \u201cgood\u201d job. But through my introspective processes, it became clearer that I had to search for work that honored some of the truest elements of myself. This process initially drew me to research. From there, I\u2019ve established a part of my self-hood within contemplative science.<\/span><\/p>

How do you see your background informing your research or path forward in your academic work?<\/i><\/b><\/p>

I see the two as being inextricably intertwined; I do not want to do any research that isn’t helping me grow into a more authentic version of who I am.<\/span> I don’t want my research to flow from a purely cerebral place; I want it to be informed by the contemplative and embodied practices that I do<\/span>. I want it to be informed by the culture that I’m a part of and by the life path that I’ve walked. It feels like there should be another word that’s more expansive than \u2018research\u2019, as I hope this work I do inside and outside of academia helps to scaffold my broader process of self-actualization. Right now, formal \u2018research\u2019 is one tool in my toolkit toward self-expansion. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t