Those moments in life stick with you and forever change your path. I hope to share one of those moments with you in this post - becoming a part of CRESTSprogram.
As the current graduate research assistant, I am blessed to have attended every training and be a part of an amazing team. Even before joining the team, I attended CRESTSprogram’s monthly webinars. In one of these webinars, I learned about an opening for a Graduate Research Assistant. That opportunity was one that I knew that I had to try for because it aligned with what I craved as a student and professional, allowed me to continue to grow in decolonizing my work, would challenge me, and make me happy to be a part of a team that is advocating for the use and integration cultural-centered, trauma-informed care. While there was no guarantee that I would be a good fit for the CRESTSprogram team, I knew I had to try.
Putting yourself out there and taking a risk is not easy. It is vulnerable. Taking a risk can also be a privilege because not every space is safe for everybody to take a risk. We open ourselves up to many potential outcomes. Failure. Success. Hurt. Joy. Pain. Care. However, you only know once you try. So I applied! Off went my cover letter and resume. Then came the waiting. Oh, the waiting! Being in a liminal space when you don’t know what way is up or down, or sideways is challenging. The liminal space of the betwixt and between space has much to teach us about ourselves. How do we handle the unknown? How do we face not knowing? How do we resource ourselves? What can we do with that time and space? Do we build our resilience? These are just some questions we can ponder when suspended in liminal space. These are not all of them, however.
Weeks later, I checked my email and heard back about an interview! I was so excited at the possibility of joining the CRESTSprogram team. I responded, and my interview was scheduled. Was I up to the task? I had learned about and understood the culture-centered approach through a more cognitive lens, but I was still challenged by how it could look in practice. As I found later during the interview, I was not alone in this experience. Apparently, that is a common thing. I didn’t know that at the time, though. I am currently a doctoral student, just as I was at the time of the interview offer. Beyond that, I am also a student of life. There is always something to learn. There is always room to grow. There is also room to remember the Beginner’s Mind. The Beginner’s Mind means approaching situations without expectations or preconceived ideas about something but rather with a fresh perspective - like a beginner.
So, while I had hoped in this post to get to talking about the actual interview and why I spoke about being sparkly, I found in writing this post that there was something to say about liminal space and the Beginner’s Mind that was worth sharing and how it might be valuable when working to find a trauma-informed, culture-centered approach.
What’s Next?
While I set the stage, it is time for you to make additional connections about the value of the Beginner’s Mind. Why might using a Beginner’s Mind help learn about a culture-centered approach? Think about how you might be able to apply the Beginner’s Mind in your work. What steps might you take?
Until next time!
Practical Tips and Suggestions
Do some more reading and learning about the Beginner’s Mind. There are some suggested resources below. Then try practicing using a Beginner’s Mind. Take notes about the process. What did you notice? What did you learn about the topic? What did you learn about yourself?
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