Paper submitted to CHI 2027

Another research milestone reached. I’m excited to share that I have submitted my research paper, “Self-Scaffolded Faith: How Newly Independent Young Adults Appropriate Technology for Religious Practice,” to the ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.

Submitted on September 10, 2026, this research explores how young adults navigate religious life as they move into greater independence from parents and family structures. The study examines how technology can become part of that transition as young adults develop their own routines for attention, religious study, community participation, and faith practice.

The work grew from participatory design workshops with young adults and examines the tensions they encounter when technology becomes part of religious life, including convenience and intentionality, exploration and guidance, privacy and accountability, and AI assistance and personal effort.

Submitting the paper marks an important milestone in this research journey. I’m grateful for the participants, mentors, colleagues, and others who have contributed to the work along the way. Now, the waiting begins.