Future Directions

I’ve come to a place in my early career and training that requires me to be diligent in my future intentions. I have trained to work as a  psychologist for over seven years and have worked as a certified school psychologist for the last three. My intentions in psychology started over ten years ago when I took a teaching position through Project Impact in Springfield, Illinois. I remember working towards ideal and safe environments for the inner city kids I was responsible for, all the while knowing most had been “damaged” or incarcerated by the Juvenile Justice System. My work then consisted of keeping these children and adolescents in school and transporting them to educational and recreational activities they may not normally see if it weren’t for the program.

Just the other day, out of pure curiousity, I googled the name of a young man whom I worked with for my first year as a Project Impact employee. I found a city notice stating that he had been arrested for a minor infraction occurring outside of a pub in downtown Springfield, Illinois. He had reached the age of 25 and looked to be caught up in some kind of mess due to an altercation he probably could’ve avoided. I remember trying to instill reseponsibility and appropriate social skills to this young man 10 years ago. Did the system fail or did it not work for this individual, I thought.

Neither, I deduced. This kid was headed for a road of difficulties in life due to compounding circumstances of his environment and his own learning disabilities. Ten years ago, his mother was on crack, his entire family was on welfare, and his neighborhood was in shambles. It took a governmental program and a partnership with Children and Family services and the public schools to try and give the youngster a sense of normalcy and opportunities by providing protective factors from recent college graduates.

So, that situation pushed me to look forward. I enrolled in graduate school about a year later and am now approaching doctoral candidacy and a clinical predoctoral internship in child psychology in Philadelphia. I am about a year away from graduating with my doctorate in psychology. Not a day goes by when I don’t think about the kids I worked with over ten years ago.

My own future in psychology seems limitless with endless possibilities and opportunities. I definitely feel as though I have been given the opportunities to pull my ship into a host of shores right now.  The idea of post-doctoral studies intrigues me. Lately, I have been investigating a variety of post-doctoral fellowships, working toward supporting advocacy and public policy, and preparing for what my life may bring in a few short months. I am fortunate for the opportunities I have. Of course, I’ve had to work for them as I was never given them on a silver platter. However, I wasn’t born into a life of crime, drugs, and poverty either. I will truly never forget the experiences I gained while being at Project Impact as the work truly left an impact on me that I carry with me everyday.