I am an Associate Professor of Child and Adolescent Development who studies agency and well-being within a precarious 21st century world. In recent years, social scientists have increasingly turned their attention to the concept of precarious life and precarious conditions to shed light on the vulnerabilities faced by individuals and communities within ever-more uncertain local and global conditions. Precarious life refers to a state of existence marked by instability, insecurity, and unpredictability, often stemming from a nexus of factors such as economic inequality, political upheaval, environmental and climate crises, immigration, technological advancements, and social injustices.  My research recognize the unique challenges faced by groups living within precarious conditions. However, from a sociocultural psychological perspective, I am interested in understanding the ways people navigate challenging conditions, build meaningful lives within them, and with this, contribute to social change. It is in this sense that my research program focuses on the possibilities for agency and well-being in the 21st century.

My interest in these questions no doubt originates in my history as a child immigrant from Poland to Canada and later as a Polish Canadian immigrant to the United States. Immigration is by definition a precarious undertaking to the extent that it involves leaving a familiar home for a new and uncertain world. At the same time, immigration is also a chance to create a meaningful life in a new place, face challenges, and shape a different future. My family had a similar experience when we came to Canada with very little, not knowing the language, and having limited social support. It took time, a lot of hard work, and a lot of persistence to establish our lives in Canada and achieve a fulfilling life there.

Having grown up in multi-cultural Toronto, my interest in psychology was piqued during college due to my fascination with the diversity of cultural experiences. This passion led me to pursue a Ph.D. in Social and Theoretical Psychology at the University of Calgary. In the early stages of my academic journey, I spent time studying psychological, philosophical, and religious (Buddhist) theories of self and human experience to better understand the social, embodied, dynamic, and temporal nature of the self. Building on this foundation, I transitioned into the study of “precarious experiences.” I started by investigating the lives of undocumented immigrants, beginning with a study on Polish undocumented adult immigrants in Toronto from 2012 to 2014. Subsequently, I worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Comparative Human Development at the University of Chicago. During this time, I focused on ethnically diverse groups of both undocumented and documented immigrant youth and young adults in Chicago from 2015 to 2017.

This research showed that living with a precarious immigration status involves a cyclical psychosocial process characterized by repeated experiences of status-related barriers and threats, as well as the need to reckon with these by learning various practical and psychological strategies. I described this process as “cycles of deportability” and showed how immigrant agency is not only possible in precarious conditions, but also necessary for surviving the specific challenges they involve.  Further, as I observed differences in how my respondents made sense of their circumstances, including variations in their feelings of hope, optimism, and sense of purpose, I also saw how well-being was possible in precarious conditions—even if at times difficult to achieve.

In 2017, I relocated to California, where I joined the faculty at Sacramento State. I began working closely with undocumented college students at the Dreamer Resource Center on our campus, a special office that supports undocumented and mixed-status family students. Through collaboration with the DRC, I initiated a support group for undocumented students, designed curriculum for a seminar offered at the Center, facilitated conferences focused on undocumented students, and developed "UndocuAlly" trainings to educate others about the lives of undocumented students. Through these efforts and further research with undocumented students, I've come to understand that well-being is not only achievable but also an essential aspect of survival in precarious conditions, just like agency.

Expanding on this work, I am currently working on a paper that examines how agency develops in supportive environments, following a sociocultural theory of agency development. Additionally, I am in the process of preparing a book manuscript that explores the concept of "well-being in precarious conditions," drawing from over a decade of research with immigrants in Canada and the United States. Looking ahead, I plan to broaden my research on agency and well-being to include other immigrant and non-immigrant groups facing various forms of uncertainty, both at the individual and community levels.

I'm also interested in studying strategies that help individuals navigate uncertainty, particularly mindfulness and other Buddhist-related practices, such as self-compassion. I have personal experience with the benefits of these practices and have witnessed their positive effects on undocumented students. These approaches start from the idea that change is a fundamental aspect of the self and human existence, aiming to cultivate awareness of, and acceptance for, an ever-changing reality. While there's a body of work demonstrating the psychological and physiological benefits of mindfulness interventions, my research seeks to explore how and to what extent these practices can assist individuals in dealing with uncertainty stemming from persistent structural and systemic challenges.