Home ⟩Education at USC Chan ⟩Minor in Occupational Science ⟩Meet the Students

Leah King OS Minor ’20

Major
Cognitive Science and East Asian Area Studies.

What brought you to USC?
Scholarships and DI Rowing.

Describe your favorite occupational science minor course.
I took Linsey Smith’s Across the Lifespan: Occupation, Health, and Disability class last semester and it was my favorite class I’ve taken at USC. It wasn’t your standard lecture and then take a test. We did different projects, activities that were engaging.

What made you decide to pursue occupational science?
I knew from a young age I’ve always wanted to help people I just didn’t know how to. It wasn’t until I went to my grandma’s OT sessions in Chicago that I found out about OT. I wanted to change my career path immediately and called USC’s OT program. They were so helpful and informative. I was a junior at the time so I couldn’t do the major but I was able to look into the minor. Something else that I love about USC’s OT department is the Global and China initiatives program where USC students can interact and engage with students across the world who also want to purse OT. I got to work with Danny Park and meet students from Taiwan and Korea.

What song can you sing entirely by heart?
Don’t Stop Believing by Journey or any Journey song. I love classic rock.

What are some small things that make your day better?
Calling my family and best friends back home when I walk in-between classes. It’s always good to hear their voices.

Note: Leah served as a Student Ambassador in the Chan division during the 2022-23 academic year.

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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.