Just received tenure & promotion to associate professor! 🎉I’m also feeling complex emotions about the news that I am the first Black person to do so in the Rice Univ. Psychology Dept. 🙏🏽
Forever grateful for the generosity, protection, courage, & support that made this possible
I am still a little in shock :)... I feel very grateful that the
@NSF
is investing in my research ideas, industry impact goals, and educational potential through this 5-year CAREER award 🎉🙏🏽😁
some of my fav advice for grad students: remember you are there to learn
Not to impress, prove, or compete
focusing on learning, rather than performance, as the main goal can help reduce stress, anxiety, & fear (e.g. about “looking dumb” asking needed question)
Our newly-accepted article summarizing insights from past research and suggesting directions for future research on anti-Black racism in organizations is here:
I am thrilled to share that our newest publication on the types and depleting effects of racial microaggressions faced by Black employees at work is available online
#PubAlert
Here’s a video of us describing the work:
I entered a PhD program as the only Black woman there (faculty or student) & Spelman taught me that I belonged and deserved to be there
& calls and visits with my friends from Spelman have lifted me during hard times ever since 🥰🙏🏽
advice from grad school that I still use as an asst. prof. is to schedule my tasks based on my energy & self-awareness, not some idealized schedule
e.g. noticing what types of tasks I do best at what points in the day (energy) & what works best for my needs & goals (self-aware)
My goal as a PhD advisor is not to only train “productive” scholars but to train thoughtful, aware, critical-thinkers who will make science & organizations better by pursuing practically and theoretically useful research questions with rigor, care, and curiosity
A question from my therapist I am still reflecting on: academia is a place where people are encouraged to disconnect from their bodies, from themselves overall. How will you stay connected?
11 years ago, I got the call from my phd advisor that I was accepted into the
#1
I-O psychology PhD program, w/ a 5 year university fellowship
I almost didn’t apply b/c they were
#1
. Thank goodness for encouragement from loved ones & choices to believe in ourselves along the way
Plz help me congratulate a current grad student in my lab,
@EFattoracci
- her research creativity, perseverance, & rigor resulted in a successful MA thesis defense today that was called “one of THE most thorough and well-written” by a committee member 🎓🎉👏🏽 We are so proud of u!
praying for a 2022 filled with rest, healthy boundaries, authentic love, kindness, laughter, safety, and manifestations inspired by the challenges of 2021 🙏🏽✨
There is so much value in listening to others. Personally and professionally we often forget the transformative power of allowing people to feel heard.
Me & the current grad students in my research lab took this pic today before our monthly writing session. They teach & inspire me more than they know. I am a lucky and grateful advisor who is SO excited to see all the great things they will (continue to) do!
Just delivered a talk to
@Ford
about supporting employee resilience & understanding and addressing racial microaggressions, as part of their Black History Month programming.
I love an engaged and thought-provoking Q&A session!
a picture I posted to share that I accepted the job offer from Rice 5 years ago 🫶🏽 life is generous.
wishing those on the job market peace, joy, & clarity that brings alignment 🙏🏽🥳
Asst. Professor of Psychological Sciences,
@docdking11
, was named a Rising Star by
@PsychScience
, recognizing "researchers whose innovative work has already advanced the field and signals great potential for their continued contributions." Congratulations!
That’s a wrap! 🥳
Spent the last 5 months developing (& the last week recording) an online psychology course for high school students, in partnership with
@GlasscockSchool
& Kaplan.
The course guests & production team made this one of my favorite work experiences to date!
My 1st time training an undergrad in my lab who went on to an I-O phd program was w/Beth. I wrote in her rec letters how kind & brilliant she was & I meant every word. It breaks my heart that our world is w/o her light. We honor you. Rest well, friend 💔
Advising grad students is one of the very best parts of being a professor💞
I hope we continue to work to show them just how important and worthy they are
Received my first piece of hate mail. It vehemently expressed that racial disparities are warranted because Black people are inferior to White people.
For any in the fight for equality: the work is not over, keep going 💪🏽
The Vaughan Fellowship at
@RiceUniversity
is given annually by the Grad Council to students who “display evidence of outstanding achievement and promise.” I could NOT be more proud of my PhD advisee
@CPhetmisy
for winning it in
@RiceSocSci
!!🥳🎉👏🏽so deserved
please don’t let people rush you or pressure you into decisions about YOUR life
not parents, not teachers, not partners, not friends
no one has it all figured out. and that’s a beautiful thing about life
I used to often force / punish / guilt myself into things. Working. Exercising. Relationships. etc.
I am not doing that lately and it’s been lovely. Do I still work, workout, connect with others etc.? Absolutely. But only in ways that feel like self-love.
an affirmation I revisit often in academia is “we are human first.”
it encourages me to uphold my boundaries & to check-in on students’ well-being
it helps me create words, actions, and interactions that humanize
it helps me to let my values, rather than pressure, guide me.
Thankful to
@APA
for asking me to do a member profile, and to Delia for listening to me talk (for a long time) about the many things I am passionate about to craft this write-up
I used to be SO nervous about teaching. My FIRST teaching experience was a 200+ person intro IO psych class, as a grad student 😅
One of the reasons teaching that class was difficult was b/c of a student who sat in the front row & disagreed w/me every single class (story/thread)
the happiest days are also, in a way, the hardest. my granny would be so proud & she absolutely was the first person I would call with any news 💜
grief is love in a different form. we grow around it but it never fully goes away. I hope I keep making granny proud.
academic summer is here and I couldn’t be more excited! last summer was all about applying for the CAREER award. I hope this summer is all about reestablishing healthy self-care routines, traveling, quality time w/ my loved ones, & writing research papers I am excited about
When applying to academic jobs I was very intentional about location.
I know that’s not always possible, so I am SO grateful I landed a job in a major city with great food and friends & I am close to home again 💕
it took my mom 23 hours to drive from New Orleans to Houston yesterday b/c of evacuation traffic. And some of my family and friends were unable to leave. Praying hard for my hometown and all those affected by Hurricane Ida.
spent 3 hours with 2 of my grad. students (about 1 1/2 hours each) doing my FAV parts of research today: generating research questions, drawing models, planning aligned methods & considering implications
some days, I marvel at being paid to generate knowledge & train scholars 🫶🏽
#NewPubAlert
I am so excited to share this newly published research on resilience in selection, completed with my wonderful co-authors
@BrentJLyons
&
@CPhetmisy
!! 🎉🎉
some fav writing advice:
“don’t wait for the feeling of wanting to write. start writing”
“don’t edit as you write. get your ideas out & edit later”
“schedule calendar time & mark it unavailable”
“take on projects that you care about. not b/c it will prob get in a certain pub”
Undergrad research assistant in my lab: I want to thank you for the letters of recommendation! I have heard back from three schools so far... and I was accepted to all three.
Me: *tears*
How rewarding to see students blossom and achieve their dreams!🥰
reviewing prospective grad student applications is such a privilege. I won’t take it for granted, rush through it, or complain. someone doing this years ago changed my life forever✨
I was in a bad mood this a.m. because I was up late working. I took a risk & decided to read my spring teaching evaluations, with the hope that they would inspire me & get me excited for this semester. The students did not disappoint 🥹🫶🏽
… It’s the Lady Gaga quote for me!
remember to work to create psychological safety in a space before asking ppl to take risks via vulnerability…
e.g., educators asking students to discuss sensitive topics, organizations asking stigmatized group members to “be authentic,” or seeking suggestions for improvement
Friendly reminder that imposter phenomenon is reinforced by systems of oppression. These inaccurate yet pervasive, subtle and overt, messages can give rise to self-doubt & questioning our worthiness.
Let the thoughts come, knowing they are not all your fault, & let them go.
just held my breath and read my teaching evals from last semester…
after the struggle that was last year, I can’t express just how much these overwhelmingly positive comments mean to me! 😍
one student even said I am funny, & that is one of my favs haha 🎉
Reviewing grad school applications is such a wonderful experience. These personal statements are teaching me by exposing me to so many current student perspectives and are inspiring me by reminding me why I joined this field and academia 🎉
the term “invisible barriers” (… e.g., faced by women or POC) is annoying me today.
those barriers are highly visible to those who are looking. we see them clearly and feel them deeply.
me: *places coffee order*
employee: are you headed to work?
me: yes
them: where do you work?
me: a university
them: oh cool, you work in admissions or something?
That is a noble & challenging profession, but looking at someone & guessing their role is never necessary.
Reflecting on the distinction between peace-keeping and peace-making has been so rewarding.
I don’t want to “keep peace” by remaining silent & allowing the status quo to persist.
I want to “make peace” by changing systems in ways that honor & restore the humanity in us.
“people will ‘what’s next’ you to death”
urgency culture is not healthy
& not allowing others’ anxiety/lack of connection to the present make you miss the joy in the now is a must.
just drove past the high school in NOLA where my grandmother used to clean for a living. I remember going there with her as a kid & playing in the rooms & hallways w/my cousin while she worked. I wish she was here to see her grand baby become a tenured professor at a University🫶🏽
currently sitting in on a lecture a PhD student from my lab group is giving to her undergrad class 🤩 I am so proud!
I don’t think helping and witnessing students grow, learn, and “bloom” will ever get old
To know that there are no consequences for ending your life is a heavy burden that Black people have carried for so long. May George Floyd rest in power and peace, and may we breathe a bit easier tonight.
Hoping for a 2023 filled with difficult conversations marked by mutual grace and curiosity, using my voice to help others despite fear, unexpected opportunities for growth and expansion, and abundant joy and love.
reviewers who wrote obnoxious comments like “this shouldn’t be hard to do” or “…is a key pillar of scientific communications,” just know we know you are not fun at parties.
And I hope those petty digs made you feel bigger after whatever is going on made you feel small 🤗
Dr. Kashy taught our 1st stats class in psych. grad. courses at MSU. I remember her humor when illustrating complex ideas, patience with our stats anxiety, & vulnerability-she showed us it’s ok to not know something & to make & learn from mistakes.
Grateful to have known you 🤍
another lesson: students, PLEASE stop assuming that your professor who belongs to groups stigmatized by society (e.g., Black women) does not know what they are doing.
the world has been very hard on me for a long time. I don’t show up anywhere unprepared or under-qualified.(end)
I had such a lovely time visiting
@IOatUGA
yesterday! Thank you for allowing me to share my research, for offering perspectives & questions that sparked new ideas, & for all of your hospitality! 🥳🥰
I am proud of this work for so many reasons. To name a few: It is an all Black sample, featured in a top journal, completed in collaboration with my grad student, two undergrad RAs and my SpelHouse brother (David Hollingsworth), AND …
Had a wonderful time at dinner last night celebrating graduations, weddings, fellowships, grants, retirements (😋), and new beginnings!
All PhD students are special, but mine really are the best 😆❣️
#ProudAdvisor
agreed. A class deemed “easy” could reflect a prof clearly explaining content & giving useful examples, class organization flowing logically, & profs setting clear & reasonable expectations of students. struggle doesn’t equal learning & learning is the goal
a focus on learning allows for the important mental exploration to find what we like, what we are interested in, what is helpful for us and what is not that
Our newest piece on resilience in HBR is here! It was a labor of intellectual purpose and passion; an attempt at channeling recent conversations about employee resilience into (hopefully) a more productive and healthier path.
the grief wave was a big one today. I knew it was coming soon b/c I recently received really exciting good news
accomplishments are bittersweet since the person I would usually call first with news is not longer here with us physically
if ur grieving, know u aren’t alone 💙
Worst advice: I was told by a PI that shouldn’t bother applying to the
#1
phd program in my field b/c “everyone will apply.”
I applied anyway and got in w/ a fully-funded university fellowship.
If you ever have a chance to try & lower a Black woman’s career goals, plz don’t.
Was asked about the *worst* piece of career advice I ever received. I was so stunned, I couldn‘t remember anything. What‘s yours?
@OpenAcademics
@AcademicChatter
Gave a virtual talk today to an I-O psych group and 1 of the students looked familiar.
Me: I remember you. You went to MSU, right?
The I-O grad student: Yes, and you taught me Intro. to I-O psych!
What a nice, full-circle moment 🎉😃
#proudprofessor
I am slowly releasing an idealized view of my academic job. I once hoped it would always feel fun, fulfilling, & impactful.
Some parts of this work are hard & unpleasant.
I now aim to “quit” parts that feel harmful or misaligned & not to “quit” things b/c they feel challenging