Faculty / Staff Resources Student Resources
University of Southern California
University of Southern California
USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
X/Twitter Facebook Instagram LinkedIn YouTube
Education
Education

Demimae Nicole Ong MA ’21

Demimae Nicole Ong MA ’21

Hometown: Cebu, Philippines
Program: Post-Professional Master’s, Class of 2021

What brought you to occupational therapy?
I was looking for a path that had my interests in one place. I enjoy cooking and baking, playing with kids, talking with the elderly, and of course, I wanted to make a difference. And so I found occupational therapy!

What area of practice are you interested in?
I have worked as an occupational therapist in a school, a college and a hospital before. But after being exposed to the core subjects and some electives, I came to be interested in the area of healthy aging and geriatrics. It isn’t a separate area in my country and so I’m interested in knowing more about what we, OTs, can help in this specific population.

Tell us about your favorite memory from the program so far.
My favorite memory so far was the in-person classes I had last Fall semester. It was fun to finally see some of my classmates’ faces outside of Zoom!

If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?
I would definitely visit my home country, Philippines. I miss my family, friends and especially, the food!

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
“Life is not a race. Don’t pressure yourself too much.” This was said to me when I was stressing myself out for being “old” and still not being where I want to be. Life is definitely not a race and you are in competition with NO ONE. I learned that I can control how much pressure I put on myself and how I can go through life’s toughest challenges.