Chantal Phillips #BlackHistoryMonth Guest

Black woman. Christian. Medical Student. Researcher. Community organizer.

These are some identifiers that I would use to describe myself. It can take a long time, if not a lifetime, to understand who you are and what you are passionate about, so you might still be figuring out your identity. One thing I would encourage you to do, reader, is to reflect on who it is you want to be before allowing for the world to concretely define that for you. This can be challenging. As a Black child, my identity felt like a fragile orb that had the ability to absorb power from inspirational role models, but also to be crushed by hurtful critiques, negative stereotypes, and lack of opportunity.

Whether you are Black or not, you may also be experiencing a similar influx of words to describe you that you may or may not choose for yourself. My advice to you is that you play an active role in the forming of your identity. That your identity is not a sponge, but a sculpture. As an “artist,” you are not the passive recipient of paintbrushes and strokes from other “artists,” but are involved in the process of moulding and refining. However, it can be a powerful thing to receive advice from other “artists”; in its most useful context, this is called mentorship.

Mentorship is a bi-directional relationship, where someone who is more experienced in a particular area partners with someone less experienced in order to provide guidance; however, both mentors and mentees learn and grow in mentorship relationships. As a medical student, I have had multiple Black women physicians provide mentorship that has been so helpful. Some were specialists in fields of medicine that I wasn’t interested in pursuing myself; nevertheless, they were and still are role models for me as I have been learning to navigate medicine, and exploring my identity as a soon-to-be physician. I believe that this type of mentorship, of having Black women pouring into my growth, is part of what has supported the strengthening of my own sense of self and identity. When I start to question if medicine is for me, or if I belong here, or if I made a mistake, I reflect on who it is that I feel purposed to be and what I feel purposed to do. I go to my mentors and their advice has provided me with tools to stay true to that purpose. For this reason, I believe that everyone should have a mentor - someone you look up to, who is invested in you succeeding, who emulates character traits that you hope to possess. Do you have someone like this in your life? If you do, consider approaching them. If you don’t, think about who in your circle might know someone who could be a mentor. In this digital age, exploring mentors through social media platforms such as Twitter and LinkedIn is another avenue for finding a mentor.

On your journey, remember that you are an “artist.” We are all “artists,” with the agency to reflect on who it is that we are and to accept or reject the opinions or views that turn our “sculptures,” our identities, into a piece of art that we are dissatisfied with. There is power in the pen and in the paintbrush, so don’t let yours go.

Twitter: @chantalp_MD