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Rebecca Tam MA ’21

What brought you to occupational therapy?
When I was young, my mum bought a book about sensory integration because I have a family member who has ASD. I then realized that occupational therapists could do something to address the needs of people with ASD. During high school, I went to an orientation organized by the OT program in Hong Kong. I then realized that sensory integration was SO FUN! I also noticed that I had sensory issues, so I was passionate about exploring how sensory integration can address our needs and improve our daily functioning. This is how I was attracted by occupational therapy!

What area of practice are you interested in?
Pediatrics! I love playing with children! It is always fun to interact with children, and I always learn from them too! During my OT610 in the Chan division, I learned so much from my clients about creating child-directed, meaningful, and therapeutic activities. I also like working in the pediatric field because I treasure how we interact with the family. Interacting and supporting caregivers is essential too, and I always feel so happy to see the enhancement of the family’s quality of life when we genuinely support the child and the caregiver.

Tell us about your favorite memory from the program so far.
My favorite memory is hanging out with classmates! During my first semester in MA1, there were still a lot of restrictions related to COVID because most of us hadn’t gotten vaccinated yet. I then realized that hanging out with friends and meeting each other in person is such a precious occupation. After we got vaccinated, we could finally go picnic in outdoor areas, visit the beaches, go hiking, and see each other in person more often. We could finally go back to campus and have lectures in person. I can’t wait to have more wonderful adventures with my friends here!

If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?
Back to Macau and Hong Kong! I miss my friends and family back in my hometowns. I also miss the food there! If anyone comes to Hong Kong and Macau in the future, please let me know! I will definitely suggest some good places and restaurants!

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
It might not necessarily be an advice, but I want to share an inspiring concept in my neuroscience class in the Chan division. I learned about the neuroscience of hope. Hope comes from the process of how we search for meaning in life, and it motivates us to live. Our professor shared that OT can think about how we instill hope in our clients because hope is essential for well-being. She mentioned that OT is a profession that focuses on meaning. We focus on the meaning of occupations, life roles, and participation in various activities. So, “Bringing back to meaning is always the key.”

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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.