Student Ambassadors
2021–2022

The role of a USC Chan Student Ambassador is to help raise awareness for the field of occupational therapy and our programs here at USC. They provide tours, give informational presentations, help with events, blog about their experiences, post to Chan Division social media accounts, and answer questions from prospective students.

Previous student ambassadors are listed below according to the years in which they served. Some have subsequently become USC Chan faculty. Please also see information about the current ambassadors, who can be contacted at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

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Alyssa(she/her/hers)

Hi! My name is Alyssa Matlosz and I’m from Tinton Falls, NJ. I’m a second-year student in the Entry-Level Master’s program at USC Chan, and this will be my 3rd degree from USC (hopefully soon to be 4th with the OTD)! I have an MA in Media Arts, Games, & Health and BA in Media Arts + Practice from the USC School of Cinematic Arts, plus a minor in Occupational Science. Making the transition from wanting to be a film editor to discovering my true passions in occupational therapy has been a winding road, but I am so happy I found my way here.

Outside of class, some of my favorite occupations include spending time with friends, doing jigsaw puzzles, teaching Zumba (check out my class at the USC Village Gym!), and cooking.

I’m super excited for this year — to be back in LA, to grow as a future OT, and to connect with you! Fight On!

Andrea

Hi! My name is Andrea Perdomo and I am from Downey, CA. I just wrapped up my second year here at USC as an undergraduate student studying Occupational Therapy and minoring in Spanish. As a student in the Bachelor’s to Doctorate program, I will be finishing up my undergraduate classes this upcoming school year along with my OT prerequisite courses.

I found OT through my interest in health care and my shadowing experience I had in high school. I was shadowing a pediatric therapist who worked with children with disabilities. I was enthralled in the work she was doing and the holistic approach to patient care.

Outside of academics, my favorite occupations are dancing, exploring new boba shops with my friends, and going to concerts (so glad concerts are back and in person!)

As this year’s summer student ambassador, I’m excited to share more about my journey as an undergraduate OT student with you. As always, Fight On!

Arianna(she/her/hers)

Hello there! My name is Arianna Lopez and I am from Orange County, CA! I just finished my third year as an undergraduate student studying Occupational Therapy and Psychology at USC. I am in the Bachelor’s to Master’s program so I will be entering my first year of the graduate program this fall. My mom is an OT, so I first learned about the profession from her. Both of my grandpas had disabilities and I grew up watching my mom practice OT with them. I loved watching them make progress and I eventually realized that I wanted to do this as a full time career. Some of my favorite occupations include nail art, taking care of my pets, and growing vegetables! I am honored to be a student ambassador for the summer and I can’t wait to share my journey with all of you. As always, Fight On!

Guy(he/him/his)

Hi. My name is Guy Reavis and I grew up in San Diego, CA but have spent most of my life in Brooklyn, NY. I am in my second year of the Master’s Program. I first discovered occupational therapy while working as a teacher and then an administrator in the New York City Public School system. For many years I was amazed by the work of the occupational therapists I encountered. While working in schools, I always found the students really enjoyed working with the occupational therapists, and the occupational therapists truly seemed to be in love with their work. Later, after my mother was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, I was exposed to occupational therapy for older adults. I very much admired and was envious of the occupational therapists I got to know. Also, the more I learned about the career the more I felt like it could be a great fit for me and what I wanted to do for the next stage of my working life. So, after my mother passed, I took a leap and decided to make a career change to become an OT.

Some of my favorite occupations include taking care of my dogs, cooking, hiking, finding great new music, spending time with my wife, and running.

I am so happy to be in person for school this year. After a year of Zoom, it is wonderful to be on campus with my fellow OT students and Chan faculty and staff. Fight On!

Kayla(she/her/hers)

Hi! My name is Kayla Chism and I am from Rancho Cucamonga, California. I graduated from the University of La Verne in California with a BS in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Health and Human Performance. I was first introduced to OT by my Mother and it turned out to be the perfect fit, I guess mom truly does know best! As I did more research and began to further understand the role of an occupational therapist I fell in love with the focus on client-centered care and the ability to make meaningful change in people’s lives. Outside of the classroom, some of my favorite occupations include listening to music, spending time with my dog, and searching for the best breakfast burrito in LA (recommendations are welcomed!). As I embark on this journey full of new experiences and new opportunities for learning and growth, I am excited to continue studying this wonderful profession and to share it with all of you! Fight On!

Marvyn(he/him/his)

Hey hey! My name is Marvyn Ngo. I am a third-generation Filipino-Chinese, born and raised in the Philippines. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Occupational Therapy in Manila, and I have been a licensed occupational therapist in the Philippines for almost 2 years. Now, I am a proud student of the Post-Professional Master’s program! I love to cook, watch movies and TV shows, play video games, and spending time with my friends and family! I also love going on adventures and to explore cultures around the world.

Occupational therapy always felt like home whenever I get to make an impact in people’s lives. And now, I am so honored to be learning from the best instructors alongside individuals from all over the globe! Fight on!

Seth(he/him/his)

Hello and howdy! My name is Seth Mitchell (he/him/his) and I am from Sylvania, Ohio. I am in my second year of the Master’s Program as a student from the Bachelor’s-to-Master’s program (which is transitioning now into the Bachelor’s-to-Doctorate). I first discovered occupational therapy through extension college-prep research, so if you’re reading this and also have had no first-hand experience with OT, don’t let that stop you from entering the field! Since then I have fallen in love with the foundational idea of OT that we are what we do, how we do it, and why. As a first-generation, LGBTQIA+ student I am especially enamoured by the way OT moves beyond just the medical model and into that of a person’s humanity and sociocultural contexts.

Some of my favourite occupations include embroidery, thrifting, cooking, and reading. I am looking forward to what this year, and beyond, has in store for me and I am excited to take you all along on that journey with me! Fight on!

Silvia(she/her/hers)

Hola! My name is Silvia Hernandez-Cuellar, and I was born in Mexico — Guadalajara, Jalisco — but have lived in the United States since I was three years old. I was raised in California in a small garlic town known to many as Gilroy.

In my wildest dreams did I imagine that little girl pursuing a collegiate education, yet here we are: a first-generation Latina in higher education. I graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a BS in kinesiology and a minor in child development in 2018 and I am now in my second year of the occupational therapy Entry-Level Master’s program here at USC Chan. My love for occupational therapy stems from its holistic approach and investment in the well-being of an individual, recognizing their humanity over any illness, condition, or diagnosis as well as its family centeredness (I am big on family). When I am not learning about how to become an OT, my time is spent working out, eating ice cream and freshly underbaked cookies, watching Mulan, catching beach sunsets and sunrises, reading self-help books, and praying. I am an open book; if you ask, I will answer. I look forward to sharing with you my life as a student, an ambassador, and a girl living her best life in Los Angeles.

Teresa(she/her/hers)

Hi! My name is Teresa Pham and I’m a Los Angeles girl through and through — born in San Gabriel, raised in El Monte, received my bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and am now in my second year of the Entry-Level Master’s program here at the USC Chan Division. I started my undergraduate career thinking I was going to pursue medicine, switched gears to law, considered computer science, and explored teaching. During my time as a second-grade teaching assistant, a parent asked me if I had ever considered becoming an occupational therapist because I embodied similar traits and values as OTs that worked with her child — compassion, patience, and creativity. Here at USC, I’m honored to be learning alongside and from individuals who live by those same values and are constantly helping me to redefine my understanding of what “occupation” is and how central it is to life. By engaging in my favorite occupations, such as spending quality time with friends and family, giving my dogs the best life they deserve, finding the best taco trucks Los Angeles has to offer, or winding down with one (or ten) episodes of my favorite TV shows, I am able to restore my sense of direction and work towards becoming the best version of myself, so that I might help others live their best lives, too.

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ACOTE accreditation | NBCOT certification

The USC entry-level master’s degree program (cost of attendance) is fully 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) has applied for accreditation and has been granted Preaccreditation Status 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. The program must complete an on-site evaluation and be granted Accreditation Status before its graduates will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapist administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc.® (NBCOT®).

Professional program graduates are eligible to apply for certification by National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc.® (NBCOT®), nbcot.org. Program results from the NBCOT® can be found online at www.nbcot.org/Educators-Folder/SchoolPerformance.