Welcome to my website! I am a former physicist working toward my Ph.D. in Educational Psychology (Division of Counseling Psychology) at the University of Illinois.
An Iranian-American immigrant, I am dedicated to using my academic training in the service of social justice. I enjoy applying my training in counseling psychology by developing workshops that focus on healing from racial traumas and embracing the strengths of our cultural identities, especially with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) young adults.
My research interests are syntonic with my clinical and outreach work, as I study identity and meaning-making processes and investigate their implications for behavioral health, especially among marginalized communities. At UIUC, I am working with Dra. Nidia Ruedas-Gracia to study sense of belonging and to understand how individuals respond to threats to their belonging. I also work with Dr. Helen A. Neville (as a co-liberator in the Liberation Lab), investigating the roles of racial-ethnic identity and sense of belonging in healing and liberation among BIPOC communities.
Please use the links in the menu to browse the different pages of my website, and I invite you to connect with me on Twitter @soori_breeze!