Senior Katie Hong knows firsthand what it feels like to be an outsider in a new place. The psychology and cognitive science major says she experienced culture shock when she came to UR three years ago from Shanghai, China.

“As an international student, studying in another country is definitely challenging,” said Hong. “I was a stranger to all the people around me.”

But it wasn’t long before Hong found herself increasingly able to strike up conversations with people she’d never met before. She also formed friendships through Chinese Students and Scholars Association events and with students in her classes.

A semester conducting research on the idea of belonging piqued Hong’s interest in learning more about the topic. In the fall of 2022, she even became a team member for the Belonging Project. The initiative, funded by a $625,000 Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant given to the University for such work, is led by faculty members and students who endeavor to examine barriers to inclusivity and explore ways to help students feel welcome in their surroundings.

For two years, Hong worked with faculty to learn about the concept of belonging in higher education spaces, particularly for students from historically underrepresented backgrounds. She interviewed students on campus to get their perspectives on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Hong became more interested in peer relationships in a collegial setting and the role these relationships play in a student’s sense of belonging, well-being, and other positive outcomes, so her thesis advisor, professor Kristjen Lundberg, encouraged her to focus her research on this area.

This past summer, with the help of a UR Summer Research Fellowship, Hong delved deeper into understanding the relationship between belonging and loneliness for her senior honors thesis. Hong learned that loneliness can occur when there’s a discrepancy between desired and actual relationships.

“Findings show that it’s not the need to belong, but actually the unmet expectations of belonging that are associated more with loneliness,” Hong says.

Hong hopes her thesis research will inform the UR Belonging Project, helping the team better understand how peer interactions can interfere with or increase a student’s sense of belonging.

The project adopted scholar Terrell Strayhorn’s definition of belonging, where students feel connected to, respected by, and valued by the campus community. Hong added, “Belonging means feeling like you fit in. That you’re understood and accepted.”

Hong will graduate this May, but she will be leaving with more than a degree. A self-proclaimed braver, bolder person — elements of her personality she attributes to the friendships she’s developed during her time on campus — Hong said, these friendships gave her a sense of security and comfort. No longer a stranger to her surroundings, Hong said, “I’ve even become more of an extrovert.”