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Developmental Psychology master's student in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Tell us a little about yourself, including what inspires you to learn and continue in your chosen field

I am a master's student in Psychology at SFU, working with Dr. Hali Kil in the All Families Lab. I had a chance to live, learn, and work in Ukraine and China before settling in Canada. Along the way, I got to know children and families from different cultural backgrounds. I've also been in an intercultural relationship for the past ten years, so my interest in culture and family life is personal too. I'm especially curious about intercultural families, where parents come from different cultural backgrounds. I want to understand how they bring their cultures into everyday family life and help their children develop an identity that reflects their multiple cultural heritages. What keeps me motivated is the chance to learn from families themselves, with the hope that my research can help parents and children feel better understood and supported.

Why did you choose to come to SFU?

I was drawn to SFU's commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion. Having lived and studied across cultures, I wanted to learn in a place where different backgrounds and perspectives are valued. I also wanted to continue working with Dr. Hali Kil since her expertise in parenting and intercultural family relationships closely aligns with the questions I want to explore, making Â鶹ÊÓƵa perfect fit for my graduate studies.

How would you describe your research or your program to a family member?

For my master's thesis, I'm looking at how people explain disagreements with a romantic partner from a different cultural background. Do they see a disagreement as a cultural difference, a matter of personality, or something else? I'm developing a questionnaire to measure how much people see their partner's culture as contributing to these disagreements. The aim is to give researchers a way to study these explanations and understand how they relate to the way people feel about their relationships.

What three (3) keywords would you use to describe your research?

Intercultural relationships, Cultural attributions, Scale development

How have your courses, RA-ships, TA-ships, or non-academic school experiences contributed to your academic and/or professional development?

Working on manuscripts about intercultural families in the All Families Lab has helped me see how each project can lead to new research questions. Reviewing studies on multiracial young people's identity, belonging and well-being has taught me to connect findings across studies and recognize what we still need to understand. In another project, I've examined how different parenting behaviors occur together within intercultural families and link to children's mental health outcomes. This work helped me think more carefully about how different aspects of parenting may contribute to children's experiences and has shaped the questions I want to explore next. Attending conferences in Canada and internationally has also helped me see where this research could be useful. For example, it could inform counselling and clinical interventions that take families' cultural backgrounds into account, classroom activities that help children explore their multiple heritages, and community workshops that support parents in talking with their children about culture and identity. These experiences have encouraged me to think about how to make my research accessible and useful to families, educators, and practitioners.

Have you been the recipient of any major or donor-funded awards? If so, please tell us which ones and a little about how the awards have impacted your studies and/or research

I received the SSHRC Canada Graduate Research Scholarship for 2026-2027. I'm grateful for the financial support it provides for my graduate studies and for the encouragement it has given me as a developing researcher. Receiving this award has strengthened my motivation to pursue research that reflects the experiences of intercultural couples and families and helps us better understand how culture shapes their relationships.

What have been the most valuable lessons you've learned along your graduate student journey (or in becoming a graduate student)?

One of the most valuable lessons I have learned is that research rarely follows a straight line. Questions evolve, analyses need revisiting, and feedback can change how you approach a project. Becoming more comfortable with that uncertainty has been an important (and challenging) part of my development as a researcher. I am also learning to ask for help early and give ideas time to develop. Graduate school brings together people with different strengths, and some of the most useful learning happens through conversations with my supervisor, instructors, peers, and collaborators. Developing independence has also meant learning when to draw on the knowledge and support of others.

How do you approach networking and building connections in and outside of your academic community?

I try to approach new connections with humility, curiosity, and a willingness to learn. As I develop expertise in my own area, I want to stay open to perspectives and questions beyond it. I enjoy asking people about their research, even when it initially seems far remote from mine. Often, those conversations reveal unexpected connections that can inspire new research questions or create opportunity for collaboration. I bring the same curiosity to conversations outside academia, where people's experiences and ways of seeing the world can help me rethink my assumptions and approach my work from a different angle.

What are some tips for balancing your academic and personal life?

My main tip is to set realistic priorities and make room for rest before your schedule becomes completely full. Breaking a large project into smaller tasks can make it easier to recognize progress and decide what is manageable for the day. I also think it is important to protect time for relationships and activities outside graduate school. There will ALWAYS be another article to read or something to revise or email to send, so learning when to stop is a skill in itself. I try to approach balance with flexibility and remember that taking care of myself helps me sustain my interest and energy over time.

Contact Anastasiia:ana_burik@sfu.ca