It’s funny that sometimes, when you doubt your path and you ask God to show you a sign that you are either doing the right thing or need to transition to a new path, he hits you in the head with a bag of bricks sometimes to make it crystal clear as to what you need to be doing. I obviously listen to my wife in these matters, but sometimes, you need to hear things from other people who God is speaking through.
Last week, I was asked to participate on the DEI council at the Southern California University of Health Sciences PA program. After the initial meeting, the chair and I spoke but before we did, she said, “Daryl, are you a praying man?” I said, “Yes.” We prayed and afterwards, before we started to discuss our DEI business, she told me, and Eboni was there, “God told me to tell you to go back to what you are meant to do. Stop being disobedient.” She went on to tell me how she was so PROUD to not only see a Black male as a medical student but to see one that was older. She described her story of being a 24-year-old PA back in 1984 and seeing her first patient and not knowing how to talk to or relate to the patient. She ended our conversation by saying that I wouldn’t know peace if I didn’t walk my path, no matter how difficult.
That was sign one.
This week, I had sign two and three. I’d applied for two faculty roles, one at Concordia University-Irvine and the other at Arizona State University. I interviewed well at CU-Irvine and after the second round of interviews, the Dean of the College of Health Sciences and the Department Chair said that I was the number one candidate AND that they were offering me the position. They went on to say that after a year, they envisioned me being promoted to director of the Master of Public Health program so that I could shepherd them through the CEPH accreditation process. They also talked about how I could help raise the research profile of the department given my current research and the fact that I’d had a hand in recently applying for a PCORI grant. They ended the conversation by saying that on 4-January, I would be getting an offer letter from HR and that they supported me negotiating a relocation package and a higher salary. I was ESTATIC! I thought that this was the sign that God was sending me and Eboni and I started visioning what life was going to be like going back home to the West where we love it so much. Well, imagine our surprise when on the 4th instead of the offer, I was told that I would need to go through ANOTHER round of interviews, this time with the President of CU-I and the Provost AND I was going to have to participate in a 2 ½ hour teaching demonstration. I asked the Department Chair if this was in error, and she told me that this had been an oversight on their part. Later that day, I asked HR if there were a salary range for the position and she referred me to the Dean. The Dean responded by saying that the school couldn’t afford me. I have my own reasons why I think things went down the way that they did but essentially, I feel that this was another sign from God. Earlier today, I received a turndown from ASU saying that while my “background and accomplishments are impressive, they have decided to move in a different direction. We’ll keep your CV for 90 days, and if we have future openings, we will consider you. Good luck.” Another sign from God.
The last sign from God came earlier this morning. To make money for things that my VA scholarship and stipend do not cover for medical school, mainly those high as board exams that will be coming up, I took a contract teaching gig for a new medical school that is opening in SoCal. I met the assistant. Program director today and she said that the primary reason why she hired me is because she’d listened to a podcast interview that I did last year, and she said that my authenticity and story of perseverance really touched her and she said that I was the sort of facilitator that the students in her program needed to guide them to their paths to medical school. She then admitted that she had always wanted to attend medical school but thought that she was too old but after seeing that I am a medical student, she said that she now is giving her dream a second thought.
Earlier this evening, God hit me in the head one last time for good measure. This person sent me a message from out of the blue. You guys can read it below but what I realized is that my journey, especially starting with getting into a PhD program when so many people said it was going to be impossible, has not been just about me. Over the last month, I have been getting all sorts of random emails, and messages on LinkedIn and Facebook from people who’ve said that my journey is inspiring to them to reach heights that they never thought that they could. I realize that me walking this path, as tough as it is, isn’t only about me finishing medical school for the benefit of me and my wife/family, but it’s also to let others know that they too can accomplish any goal that they set their mind to. So, I’m feeling renewed and have a sharper sense of purpose. I’m rededicated to finishing what I’ve started. I see my eye doctor one last time this week and then I’m looking forward to being back in class with my classmates and friends at UIWSOM in July.
