Alayna Puli

Alayna is a fourth-year undergraduate student specializing in psychology at the University of Toronto. As a Research Assistant in Dr. Ganapathy-Coleman’s lab she is working on the Study of South Asian Indian Lives in the Greater Toronto Area. Through this role, she has gained extensive training in qualitative research methods, including daily diaries, in-depth interviews, and document analysis. Her responsibilities involve recruiting participants, building trust and rapport within the community, collecting and organizing narrative and observational data, and conducting preliminary analyses to identify emerging themes and patterns. Her research interests center on cultural psychology, close relationships, and identity, with a particular focus on how individuals navigate cultural differences within romantic relationships. She will be completing an undergraduate thesis on mixed-culture relationships, examining how partners manage differences in values, traditions, and social perceptions. Alayna is passionate about advancing culturally informed research that challenges deficit-based narratives.