Home ⟩Education at USC Chan ⟩Bachelor’s to Doctorate ⟩Meet the Students

Pengchen Zhao MA ’19

What brought you to occupational therapy?
I’ve always been interested in mental health, even though it is still stigmatized and not addressed enough in my home country, China. In fact, I was accepted to USC as a psychology major. I wanted to make a change, especially after witnessing what the stress of losing a child did to my uncle. Later, I found OT in creativity workshop class, and was absolutely captivated. There couldn’t have been a better path for me, someone who longs for making a change in people’s lives and yearns for creativity and adventures.

What area of practice are you interested in?
Mental health.

What are some of the occupations you engage in?
Drawing, reading, sleeping, trying new food.

If we opened your fridge, what would we see?
Vegan cheese (I just hate anything milky), copious amount of fruits, leftover meals.

How do you want to be remembered?
“She made a great change in my life.”

⋯

USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
1540 Alcazar Street, CHP 133, Los Angeles, CA 90089-9003

ACOTE accreditation | NBCOT certification

The USC entry-level master’s degree program (cost of attendance) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education® (ACOTE®) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). The USC entry-level doctorate in occupational therapy (OTD) degree program (cost of attendance) is accredited by ACOTE®. View our program’s ACOTE® standards public data. ACOTE® c/o the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.®, 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814, (301) 652-AOTA, www.acoteonline.org.

Professional program graduates are eligible to apply for the national certification examination administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc.® (NBCOT®), nbcot.org. All states require licensure to practice; a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT® OTR certification examination or attain state licensure. Program results from the NBCOT® can be found online at www.nbcot.org/Educators-Folder/SchoolPerformance.