Research Symposium

BIO

I am a psychology major on a pre-med track, originally from West Palm Beach, Florida. My research interests focus on lived experiences, identity development, mental health, and community-based storytelling, particularly within Black women’s communities. Through my work, I explore how personal narratives and shared experiences can serve as meaningful way of knowledge and reflection. My career goal is to attend medical school and become a child psychiatrist, where I hope to advocate for children’s mental health and support communities that have historically been overlooked in mental health research and care.

Dear Beloved SoulFlower: Letters of Black Joy

Abstract

Autoethnography is a research method that centers personal experiences as a way of understanding culture and identity. Using this approach, this study examines Black women’s lived experiences as a meaningful source of knowledge. The research question focuses on how personal and communal experiences shape understanding and identity within Black women’s communities, highlighting why this research matters today. Instead of focusing on one specific research question, this project centers on connection, reflection, and shared understanding. Its purpose is to challenge traditional research methods that often overlook personal experiences and community-based knowledge. This study analyzed lived experiences using Kujima’s Theory of Collective Self-Motivation, eco-womanism, and the concept that knowledge can emerge from lived and embodied experiences. Personal experiences were treated as data and explored through a five-step process including visual analysis, mindful walking, reflective writing, and writing love letters. Fourteen love letters were created by mentees, and participants also completed 3CQ reflections (comment, compliment, connection, question, and quote) to encourage conversation and build community. The findings suggest that this approach strengthened relationships, encouraged deeper reflection, and highlighted the ways storytelling can influence understanding of identity and community. Results indicate that creative and experience-based methods can provide meaningful insights into personal and collective experiences. These findings help highlight the ways personal and shared experiences contribute to knowledge, showing the significance of lived experience in academic research. Future research should continue exploring autoethnography as a way to better understand lived experiences and scholarly writing.

Keywords: Eco-Womanism, Autoethnography, Idenitity