Finding My God-Given Purpose
“What do you want to do?” I am not sure how many times I was asked that question up until that point, but for whatever reason, in that moment, something in me cracked. I started to cry. For the first time I realized that I was not sure how to articulate what I wanted to do, and I was less than a year away from graduating.
I was ambitious as an undergrad at Syracuse University. I served on several executive boards, participated on a step team, was a McNair scholar and maintained a 3.8 average. Despite all of my accomplishments, here I sat in my counselor’s office crying because I did not know how to communicate what I wanted to do in words.
I grew up in a Haitian household. In our culture, the typical career choice is a nurse. I did not want to be a nurse and I am thankful my parent never tried to force that on me. However, it was difficult pinpointing what my interests were, because my other family members tried to convince me that because I was “smart,” I should go into the medical field. While in school through my courses, events and other experiences, I realized I enjoyed storytelling. For me telling stories is a way to bring messages of hope to people who need it. As I grew closer in my faith, I thought about pursuing a career as a Christian producer, producing faith-based and family content for audiences of color. I had an idea of what I wanted to do, but I was afraid of committing to it because I did not feel like I understood what it really entailed. I did not know anyone who looked like me and worked in this industry (as far as Christian media), which only made me feel more defeated. So, despite this burning passion I had, I graduated and started my career in advertising.
You might wonder why would I do that if I knew I had this passion and felt like this was my purpose. Well the answer is simple, I was afraid. The magnitude of what I wanted to do, and the vision God gave me felt so much bigger than my little mind could handle, so I convinced myself that I needed another option. Something that felt safer and more attainable.
Fast forward two years later, and I am currently pursuing my master’s degree in Media Management at The New School because I decided I was tired of being frustrated. Frustrated from not pursuing my dreams and keeping all this potential that God has given me locked inside.
Looking back on my journey and the struggles I had in pursuing my dreams and how that affected me personally, I had questions. I started to wonder if young women of color would feel more confident about what they wanted to do, if they were more confident in themselves. What if there was a platform or an experience that not only gave them career development advice but also personal development opportunities. What if there was a way for faith to be connected?
The person reading this may not identify as a Christian or even believe in a God. But you do have a purpose and whether or not you see it that way, you were created to be here to fulfill that purpose on earth. I find that too often, too many of us are afraid of pursuing our dreams. I do not think that it is necessarily our fault. Sometimes it is because we do not have others supporting our dreams, or have a place that we can turn to just to ask questions or explore what the things we want to do entail. My story does not have to keep being the same story of girls for years to come. I want to help create a space for other young women of color to cultivate their identities, and in turn boost their confidence to pursue their dreams. I read a book by Dr. Myles Munroe and he said something that stuck with me: in a cemetery lies the dreams of many people who were too afraid to pursue them. Let’s change that. The change we are all called to make is too important. The purpose we all have is too precious. The lives we are meant to change are too numerous. Young women of color, it is time to release your purpose, and I want to help you do it.
