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Okay - so now you know THAT I’ve passed the exam, let me tell you HOW I passed:
A whole get-on-your-recliner-and-grab-some-tissues testimonial #thread giving honor and glory to God:
/1 https://twitter.com/rianaelyse/status/1285216735189139459
A whole get-on-your-recliner-and-grab-some-tissues testimonial #thread giving honor and glory to God:
/1 https://twitter.com/rianaelyse/status/1285216735189139459
In the beginning - or, in 3rd grade - I did a project in social studies class about what I wanted to do when I grew up. I drew a picture of the “Kiddome” - a #Detroit-based center focused on the health & well-being of Black youth - where I wanted to be a child psychologist.
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In high school, I actually petitioned the Detroit City Council to build this facility, and scored an internship with councilperson Nicholas Hood as a result.
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After college, while in @TeachForAmerica, I saw firsthand how important it was to deeply understand Black culture, children, families, and communities when addressing students' wellness issues, further solidifying my desire to work on behalf of #BlackMentalHealth.
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Now I’m going to QUICKLY skim over the next 10 years of God’s grace, including the tornado in ATL while I was teaching that LITERALLY taught me peace in the middle of the storm, or the serendipitous conversation which afforded me a free application to grad schools…
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…which ultimately led me to apply to @UVA, the summer opportunities in DC which strengthened my clinical + community skills, the residency at @YaleMed, the @NASEMFordFellow postdoc fellowship at @PennGSE (AND BABY THIS IN AND OF ITSELF WAS ANOTHER TESTIMONY! [pic evidence]).
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![…which ultimately led me to apply to @UVA, the summer opportunities in DC which strengthened my clinical + community skills, the residency at @YaleMed, the @NASEMFordFellow postdoc fellowship at @PennGSE (AND BABY THIS IN AND OF ITSELF WAS ANOTHER TESTIMONY! [pic evidence])./6](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Edsa_o0XkAE5wk9.jpg "…which ultimately led me to apply to @UVA, the summer opportunities in DC which strengthened my clinical + community skills, the residency at @YaleMed, the @NASEMFordFellow postdoc fellowship at @PennGSE (AND BABY THIS IN AND OF ITSELF WAS ANOTHER TESTIMONY! [pic evidence])./6")
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I’ll pick it back up at USC where I took my first academic position. Things were not aligning as well as I had hoped. I went to @tphonela church & @toureroberts asked how many of us were entrepreneurs. I thought about my clinical work with @EMBRaceProgram and raised my hand.
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He then asked, “what was the dream God put in you years ago about your entrepreneurship?” and The Kiddome popped immediately in my head. I thought to myself, “I have to get back to Detroit to open my center!” But there was just one issue:
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I just declined an offer at @umichsph the prior year. And the position was filled. So, I made my petition known to God and in 6 months, there was an offer to come back home. I also said that I wanted to live and work primarily in Detroit. The department agreed.
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So now I’m in #Detroit, skipping and hopping and living my best life working on behalf of kiddos and their families, but something was nagging me: since I wasn’t licensed, I couldn’t see clients individually nor supervise clinicians independently for the @EMBRaceProgram.
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As #COVID19 roared, I saw the immense need to serve my people appropriately, especially after personally getting sick in March. So I started studying for licensure in April. When I first booked a testing date, they were so backlogged that it wasn’t scheduled til September.
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God kept telling me to check and said “your testing date will be the week of July 13 at 8 am”. I was like “Hey God, I hate to break it to you, but this thang booked than a mug. It ain’t gonna happen.” But after weeks of checking, something opened up: July 17. 8 am.
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In the weeks leading up, I was studying, but also working on papers, grants, and media. I was exhausted. I started developing debilitating migraines. Then a personal family issue popped up the Sunday going into the week of July 13.
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In fact, my practice test on July 13 was one of the lowest scores I had the whole year, shaking me to my core. I was fairly sure I wasn’t going to pass that Friday.
But then…
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But then…
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I talked to my colleague @SCTJones who gave me support and ALSO used the word "test" in our convo. In that moment - my mind was blown open. ALL of the preparation to get me to this point were displays of God’s sufficient provision for my purpose, so why have shaky faith now?
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So I stopped studying. I positioned myself in a posture of prayer the rest of the week. And God’s alley-oop the day before the exam, which stopped my Twitter Takeover AND kept my internet from working, allowed me to praise God the WHOLE day.
/16 https://twitter.com/rianaelyse/status/1283771800145530883?s=20
/16 https://twitter.com/rianaelyse/status/1283771800145530883?s=20
Upon waking up on the 17th, I took a look at the verse of the day - which, if I ain’t never seen no direct Bible verse to me before - was SURELY written for me that day:
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I was fired up. I went into the exam. I wasn’t sure how I performed but I knew that I had nothing left. I was depleted. And only God could answer the questions I was unsure about.
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I walked out of the exam, grabbed my printout, folded it quickly, and came home. I FaceTimed my mom and she asked the results. I told her I wasn’t going to check yet. She reminded me that my friends + family were going to ask me at a gathering that day so I should just look.
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So. I looked.
You need a 500 to pass.
I didn’t get over a 500.
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And I didn’t get under a 500.
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I. Got. A. 500. On. The. Nose.
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You need a 500 to pass.
I didn’t get over a 500.
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And I didn’t get under a 500.
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I. Got. A. 500. On. The. Nose.
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God simply asked after my test, “do you believe that I can do ALL things now? When you have nothing left, do you not know that I can sufficiently meet your needs AND my needs for you and the kingdom?”
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Yes, Lord. I believe.
/fin
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Yes, Lord. I believe.
/fin
