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Sandy Exilus
I am first generation American. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. My parents are Haitian. I consider myself to be Afro- Caribbean, or West Indian, or Haitian-American. In 2014, I graduated CUNY Kingsborough Community College with an Associates degree in Liberal Arts. I then went on to attend, and graduate Long Island University in 2017, with my Bachelors degree in Health Science. I currently still attend Long Island University and I am working on my Master’s in Social Work with a concentration on Substance and Alcohol misuse.
I got into social work because, I have always felt a sense of fulfillment when I help others. I love knowing that I can help someone find ways towards achieving their goals in life. I have worked and interned in many different fields with different populations of people. I have worked with children as an educator in low income communities for organizations like AmeriCorps/America reads, jumpstart, and New York Junior Tennis League. I have interned with the elderly as a recreation specialist in Rehabilitation clinics, long term care facilities, and homecare. I have worked with young adults with mental disability as a direct support professional. I also interned in a council women’s office, where I assisted many of the district’s constituents with a variety of issues. Both personal and community based.
As a Black woman my strongest purpose in life is to make positive long-term changes in my community. I deal with obvious racism mostly when I go shopping. I can’t count how many times I have been followed in a store. I also had a Caucasian friend of mine in high school call me Miss Parker from “The Parkers” (actress/comedian Monique). He said it was because I was black and overweight. At the time it hurt me but I didn’t deal with the situation. I just laughed along with everyone else (predominately Caucasian school). Knowing what I know now with the support of the Black Lives Matter movement. I would have corrected my peer in front of everyone and asked him to refrain from ever stating that I look like another black woman 40 years my senior just because I am over weight and black.
I am trained in the psychodynamic approach to counseling. People have told me I am very personable. I am easy to talk to and I am a great listener. I ensure that my clients feel heard by creating an open environment (conversationally of course). In that environment I allow my clients to say whatever they want or need to say in that moment in time. I will listen attentively, and I may ask a few questions for my clarification and understanding but ultimately the client has the floor and they will steer the conversation where they feel it needs to go.
My hobbies are Baking, DIY projects, taking long walks, watching Black 90’s sitcoms and comedy and Sci-Fi movies. I love my solitude because I think and meditate better. Finally, I am a family and children-oriented person. This is because as a child I spent my earlier years alone with just my mom and grandmother but by the time I was 9 years old, more relatives came to the states, therefore we had a full house. I was never lonely again, there were always other kids in the house to play or fight with.