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Summertime and the Livin’ is OT

During the past decade, USC’s Summer Occupational Therapy Immersion program has graduated more than 500 students, changing their lives and careers while building an internationally-connected Trojan family.

By Jamie Wetherbe

In 2015, a quick online search changed the personal and professional trajectory of Valentina Vera Carrasquero MA ’19, OTD ’20. Originally from Caracas, Venezuela, she moved to Colombia to study occupational therapy.

“In South America, there aren’t many schools that teach OT,” Vera Carrasquero says. “Even though I felt my education was good, I was craving more.”

Vera Carrasquero — who works with children with ADHD and autism alongside her mother, a speech therapist — wanted to focus on sensory integration as part of her practice.

“I have sensory issues,” she says. “I’d have been very much a candidate for this type of OT when I was little.”

With internationally renowned experts on sensory integration and processing, Vera Carrasquero saw USC as the epicenter of this line of research.

“I was Googling ‘summer OT immersion,’ and SOTI was the first thing to pop up,” she said. “I couldn’t believe it existed; I knew immediately I wanted to do it.”

The SOTI she’s referring to is USC’s Summer Occupational Therapy Immersion, a four-week summer program designed for international professionals, with or without occupational therapy expertise, who are interested in learning about OT practice, education and research in the United States.

Vera Carrasquero completed the program in 2015.

Each summer, SOTI students attend seminars and lectures with a wide swath of faculty members, and visit clinical sites throughout the greater Los Angeles area. That educational piece is balanced by a range of cultural and social activities, from sporting events to beach trips.

“USC Chan is such a huge institution with such diversity and expertise,” says Danny Park MA ’09, OTD ’10, associate professor of clinical occupational therapy and director of USC Chan’s Global Initiatives, who founded and developed SOTI more than a decade ago. “Through this program, we have the opportunity to share these resources with the world, while just as much seeking to learn from the wealth of wisdom represented in the SOTI community.”

A global community

Since SOTI’s start in 2014, Park and his team have recruited 517 international participants across 50 countries, from Australia to Zimbabwe.

“I think the best part of the program is the global community we create,” Park says. “People who’d never have had the chance to meet each other are all at one table.”

Since many SOTI students have yet to complete their undergraduate studies, Park and his team strive to create a caring, supportive environment.

“For many participants, it’s their first time traveling to the U.S. or even traveling alone,” he says. “Being in this caring environment gives them a sense of confidence to do something special, something different — that might include coming to USC.”

The program is equally designed for practicing professionals who want to expand their skills.

“SOTI had a huge impact on me because it taught me ways we can intervene in the care of our patients,” says Marthe Gabriele, SOTI Class of 2023. Gabriele is one of the first occupational therapists to graduate from a rehabilitation education program in Haiti. “We don’t have a lot of these resources in Haiti, and now we can use these materials to treat patients with neurological problems.”

A family member’s experience inspired Gabriele to pursue occupational therapy.

“My aunt had a stroke, and it was difficult to find a medical professional,” says Gabriele, the director of a nonprofit pediatric clinic in Port de Paix. “I said to myself, ‘I must learn OT to participate in the evolution of the practice in my country.’”

Each day at SOTI brings something new. For example, a recent agenda included a site visit to elementary schools throughout the Los Angeles Unified School District, a trip to the hand therapy clinic at Keck Medical Center of USC, followed by a lecture on pediatric mental health in the U.S. The day was capped off with small group discussions in which students can reflect on their experiences.

“The curriculum is designed so participants can learn from one another,” Park says. “The profession is a global one, moving well beyond just one specific perspective or cultural point of view, and we’re intentional about making time for that.”

This built-in exchange of ideas was a highlight for Yufei Wu OTD ’25, alum of the 2021 SOTI class.

“The shared inspiration happens so organically because we’re all excited about what we’re learning,” says Wu, who’s originally from China. “Everyone has a different culture and background, so to hear the distinct takeaways put a bow on top of my learning experience at the end of each day.”

In addition to emphasizing diversity of ideas, SOTI aims to be aspirational. Through seminars and site visits, participants are introduced to many facets of OT — from ocean and surfing therapy techniques to developing inclusive makeup and beauty products to addressing human trafficking.

“We want to present a big, ambitious, creative vision of occupational therapy, and highlight specialized areas our students haven’t thought about,” Park says. “I really value being able to see the participants grow and change over the course of the program. They experience the possibilities of what OT can do — and many discover, or rediscover, the power of this profession.”

Ripple effects

SOTI has certainly had a ripple effect on the lives and career aspirations of its alums: scores of participants have gone on to pursue graduate occupational therapy programs around the world, with many becoming leaders and proponents of the profession. Nearly 40 former SOTI participants, including Vera Carrasquero and Wu, have returned to USC Chan to enroll in degree programs.

“SOTI was a domino effect of all these great things for my career,” Vera Carrasquero says. “The experience was life-changing.”

Through SOTI, she met Professor of Clinical Occupational Therapy Erna Blanche, a renowned clinician–researcher who has received awards recognizing her contributions to developing Sensory Integration in Latin America.

“[Blanche] is a Sensory Integration goddess, and she’s also from Chile, so we had that South American connection,” Vera Carrasquero says.

In 2017, Blanche accepted Vera Carrasquero’s proposal to do her fieldwork at Therapy West, Inc., a Los Angeles-area private clinic that Blanche co-founded.

This experience during her post-professional master’s degree led Vera Carrasquero to return again to USC for her doctorate of occupational therapy degree, during which she completed her residency alongside Associate Dean and Chair Grace Baranek, another internationally renowned expert on the sensory features of autistic children.

“I really believe I wouldn’t have gotten as far as I have without SOTI,” Vera Carrasquero says. “Danny [Park] has poured his soul into this program, and it’s touched so many — he’s so humble about all the work that goes into this.”

Now back in Venezuela, Vera Carrasquero and her mother are on the verge of opening a pediatric clinic that will offer sensory-based interventions.

“We’re trying to simulate clinics in the U.S., with a large gym space; clinics in Venezuela aren’t like that,” she says. “I want this to be an open space where children can learn how to focus without having a closed door.”

Vera Carrasquero also teaches at Universidad Monteávila in Caracas, sharing her knowledge with future educators.

“Teachers aren’t always aware that sensory integration can affect learning,” she says. “I teach the basics of sensory integration, developmental milestones children need to meet and when a child needs a referral to a specialist, like an OT.”

For Wu, it was experiences with SOTI’s facilitators and faculty that led her to enroll in USC Chan’s clinical doctorate program.

“[The faculty] really invested the time and energy into my learning experiences — that was huge for me,” she says. “The program was so intentional and comprehensive. It felt like a preview of my life as a student at USC.”

Another draw for Wu was the university’s connection with her home country. USC Chan has partnered with Peking University Health Sciences Center, one of China’s top institutions, to operate a dual-degree graduate program in occupational therapy.

“In China, OT is not a very formulated concept yet — very few people know about it,” Wu says. “USC has given me a clear path to my long-term career goal to actively contribute to the greater OT community, and help develop the practice in China.”

The big idea

The inspiration for SOTI came shortly after USC Chan established Global Initiatives in 2013. The office, which supports international students and fosters relationships with the global community of occupational therapy practitioners, had organized a handful of social gatherings and networking events. Then, Park asked his team of two to think big.

“I said, ‘why don’t we each think of one ambitious, grand idea and pitch it,’” Park says. Post-professional master’s student Kate Lee MA ’15 came up with a summer program for international OT students, and the concept was well-received.

In July 2014, USC hosted its first SOTI cohort with 11 students hailing from seven countries. “It was really special because it was such a small group, so we got to know the students very personally. I’m still in close touch with several of them,” Park says. “That’s what I love, seeing the friendships and relationships continue over the years.”

While SOTI has grown, the connections remain close, in part, because the students have the opportunity to all live at USC Village, a 15-acre mixed-use development adjacent to the USC University Park Campus, which gives SOTI students an opportunity to live and learn in a prototypical American-style residential college experience.

“My class was tightly knit because of that,” Vera Carrasquero says. “I met my best friend in SOTI; she’s from Canada. And I’m still close with several other people.”

Over the past decade, the program has evolved to become increasingly diverse and global, recently welcoming students from countries like Ethiopia, Indonesia, Turkey, Malaysia and Palestine, which Park attributes to the development of a robust scholarship program.

“Initially, our students were coming from developed first-world countries, mainly Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Australia and Canada,” Park says. “I would like to continue to see larger representation of participants from parts of the world whose voices continue to be underrepresented in occupational therapy.”

In SOTI, expertise flows in both directions. Ideas and challenges originating from the Global South can filter into aspects of USC Chan’s core curricula.

“I think a perfect example of this is some of our friends in Zimbabwe have involved OTs in addressing climate change, and in the U.S. that’s something many OTs haven’t really considered as deeply,” Park says.

To help share this perspective with the USC community, Park has invited Sidney Muchemwa, SOTI Class of 2021 alum from Zimbabwe and a current PhD student at the University of Cape Town, as a guest lecturer in his courses to share about his occupation-based work in environmental sustainability and climate change management.

“We really benefit from this global network to teach all of us,” Park says. “Students say that experiences like this have been the most powerful part of their education.”

Wu sees how that focus on the international OT community extends from SOTI into USC’s OTD program.

“Unlike other universities I looked at, USC has the means and the vision to facilitate an international presence, including options for fieldwork abroad,” says Wu. “Danny [Park] and everyone at the Global Initiatives office have been instrumental in making this a reality for me.”

Park sees these efforts as part of USC’s commitment to be responsible global citizens.

“We all have rights as people who belong to this planet,” he says. “In order for us to become the type of [academic] department we want to be, we need to live out our values through genuinely participating in this global community. That’s what sets USC Chan apart.”

2014 was a memorable year for Park in another way.

“On a personal note, my daughter Mattea was born in April 2014, so she’s exactly as old as SOTI,” he says, with a laugh. “It’s like they’ve grown up together.”

As for anyone who is considering SOTI, Wu advises to just jump in.

“It’s the experience of a lifetime; you’ll make valuable connections with practitioners, educators and others who share your passion,” she says. “It’s the place where either you can find your spark, or refine your spark, for occupational therapy.”

Learn more about USC Chan’s Summer Occupational Therapy Immersion (SOTI) program at chan.usc.edu/education/soti.

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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.