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Vidhi Raja MA ’22

What brought you to occupational therapy?
Through my personal experience I have seen how damaging it is for a child or adults to experience exclusion from activities due to their disabilities or medical conditions. Such actions can lead not only to poor physical health but also damage self-confidence. Having seen my mother not being able to perform her task due to her medical conditions (i.e., PIVD L4-L5 with disc rupture) since 2006 made me ask myself what I could do to help her and so many people out there to take charge of their lives once more. Thus, after completing higher education I got into Occupational Therapy. I have completed my Bachelor’s in Occupational Therapy at D. Y. Patil University and now pursuing master’s at USC.

What are some occupations you engage in?
I like cooking, baking and painting. I love Garba (it is a traditional dance form which is performed in honor of goddess Durga).

Tell us your favourite memory from the program so far.
My favourite memory from the program so far is of white coat ceremony, wherein all my fellow classmates were dressed up to be white coated. For me it was my dream come true moment, I will never be able to forget that moment where my name was called and I was walking up on the stage to get the coat. I still get goosebumps describing it.

If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?
I get a chance to travel anywhere, I would like to visit my home, as I am missing my family. I just want to hug them.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
Best advice that I have received ever was ‘Believe in yourself and you are halfway done.’

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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.