This month, we are delighted to introduce Dr. Sumie Okazaki (sumie.okazaki@nyu.edu), as our member in the spotlight. Sumie is a Professor in the Department of Applied Psychology at the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education & Human Development at New York University.
Can you write a couple sentences on some aspect of your career development: feel free to pick one or any other related question among these: a) what drew you to do work on Asians, Asian American children and youth, or another topic that is important to you now? b) who was an important mentor to you in this work, or an influential particular study in the field or in a related field? c) any particular advice or tips to someone starting out in the field who is doing work in your area?
I’m afraid this answer will reveal how ancient I am, but I was an undergraduate psychology major at a time when there were hardly any faculty of color. I was introduced to the writing of Stanley Sue and Derald W. Sue, which drew me in immediately because I saw that it was possible to pursue a research career as an Asian American psychologist. Stan Sue was my doctoral mentor at UCLA and I am indebted to his generous and joyful mentorship. It was also during grad school and in early career that I connected with other Asian American psychology peers, who remain my friends and colleagues. We support each other through many professional and personal life challenges and celebrate the milestones. So my advice starting out in the field is to find your people and invest in the relationship (which might involve sharing meals, drinks, and trips to karaoke bars).
A short paragraph describing a particular recent finding, current study, or recent publication and what makes you excited about it. Feel free to describe its importance from any one or more of these lenses: a) research contribution; b) our knowledge about Asian or Asian American populations; c) our knowledge about other [understudied?] populations; d) practice or policy relevance.
My colleague Doris Chang (who is also a friend from grad school!) and I co-lead a team of researchers examining the experiences of Asian Americans during the pandemic. What started out as a project looking at mental health responses to the pandemic-induced anti-Asian racism and discrimination has spawned a couple of exciting new directions for research, including examining how experiences with racism may shape collective action on behalf of Asian Americans and on behalf of Black Americans. Our team has also used a macro-lens to map state-level variations in implicit xenophobia and explicit anti-Asian bias. Another project is using the narrative analysis method to analyze Chinese American, Filipino American, and Asian Indian American young people’s racial identity development journey in the context of coming of age during the height of anti-Asian hate. I hope these studies will uncover more nuanced understanding of the identity and experiences of Asian Americans in developmental and macro contexts.
Your reflections on your interactions with the Asian Caucus would be highly appreciated. Please feel free to share your thoughts, whether it’s a simple message for the Caucus community or more.
The Asian Caucus provides a much-needed space for connecting, gathering, and sharing. It’s not just an intellectual community—though that’s important—but also a supportive network that allows for vertical and horizontal relationships to form.
Any upcoming talks or presentations we should know about?
I’m currently on a sabbatical leave and am enjoying having fewer obligations. I will be speaking at Taiwan National University’s College of Public Health at the end of December on migration and mental health.