Lejla Pargan is a senior studying cognitive science (philosophy track) at the University of Michigan. Her research journey began during her sophomore year when she attended a “Pizza with the Professors” event hosted by the Department of Psychology. There she met Dr. Mari Kira, whose work on refugees and individuals with hybrid-multicultural identities was personally meaningful to her.
Shortly after, she joined Dr. Kira’s Work, Identity, and Wellbeing Lab as a Research Assistant, she began working on the project Identity Threats, Threat Emotions, and Identity Work Among Workers Suffering from Long-COVID. Since joining the lab, she has gained extensive research experience in qualitative data analysis and presented a poster at the Midwestern Psychological Association regional conference titled Emotions and Identity in Long-COVID: Coping with Chronic Illness and Its Impact on Personal Identity. Presenting at the conference was a highlight of her undergraduate career and further fueled her motivation to continue pursuing research and seeking out opportunities to share her work.
This experience deepened her curiosity about how people navigate multiple identities and how those identities interact with one another. Drawing from both her research and her personal background, she began working on her honors thesis in the Department of Psychology, which explores how Bosnian, Muslim, and American identities are bidirectionally influenced within parent-child dyads.
Lejla also recently joined Dr. Chandra Sripada’s Computation and Psychopathology Lab as a Research Assistant to broaden her research experience and skills. Through these opportunities, she has strengthened her identity as a researcher and developed a deeper appreciation for approaching complex questions from multiple perspectives.
Looking ahead, Lejla plans to draw on the interdisciplinary nature of cognitive science as she applies to graduate school in the coming years. She hopes to continue exploring her evolving interests in cognitive science, psychology, and philosophy while shaping the next phase of her academic journey.
