Reflecting as a Post-Doc

Hello everyone!

It has been quite some time since I've written here, and I wanted to provide an update on the final stages of my Ph.D., commencement, and new roles within the last year.

For those new, I earned my Ph.D. in General Psychology, where my dissertation focused on the overall experiences of Black women who have enrolled at predominantly White academic institutions. And let me tell you, the ladies did not hold back during interviews (data collection). As I finished analyzing the transcribed interviews and finding themes and patterns, it was pretty eye-opening to see the shared experiences and different experiences, especially when comparing historically Black colleges' and universities' experiences. However, with all participants, it was a great conversation about our experiences at PWIs and exposure to how both institution types can improve in certain areas. I successfully defended on Wednesday, February 16, 2022, and let me tell you, this post-doc life has been interesting. I was hooded on March 4th, 2023, in Charlotte, NC, with family present, and a time was had!

However, I moved into the assistant instructor role in July 2020, supporting master's and doctoral-level learners in research methodology, and then transitioned to one of the first courses undergraduate learners take. The adjustment started rocky but has improved; it's been some time since I've worked with undergraduate students. Adjusting expectations was a bit challenging, but I think I found a good balance. Also, I quit my job with a national bank and started a new position as an adjunct professor in the psychology department at a local college, teaching 100-level courses in person and virtually.

Post-doc life has been interesting, to say the least, but I've learned different skill sets in each role I played (analyst/officer with the bank, assistant instructor, adjunct professor) that contributed to my success and different roles I am passionate about. I've also presented my research at national conferences and participated in panels that are relevant to my area of research. That is me just networking, overcoming my fear of public speaking, and developing new research opportunities.

On a personal level, Jade and Rocci (if you know, you know) are good and gained a step-sibling, Jazmyn, and life has been a good chaos. Trips have been planned to escape the academic or scholar/practitioner life, and I'm here for it! One thing I've learned it to give yourself grace and not be hard on yourself when you don't achieve a certain goal when you want it to happen.

But that's my reflection during my post-doc!

Dr. Candace Murray, Ph.D.