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Alita Borkar MA ’18

What brought you to occupational therapy?
My professor of abnormal psychology introduced me to the field in my 4th year of undergrad. I was becoming more and more wary about the future career I was set on for the last four years so I watched countless YouTube videos about the profession to find out if occupational therapy would be a better fit for me. After I talked to my friend’s mom, who is a director in an occupational therapy rehab facility, I knew this would be a great career for me. Occupational therapy was the combination of everything I loved in the previous jobs I worked in. I then made immediate plans to apply to occupational therapy programs.

Describe your background before coming to occupational therapy.
I started out my undergrad wanting to be a psychiatrist. After taking some of the pre-med classes I realized I didn’t want to be under that level of pressure for the rest of my life. I then switched to wanting to be a clinical psychologist. I tried out many different areas (children’s hospital, cognitive development lab, art studio with people with disabilities, hippotherapy, psychotherapist’s office, homeless shelter, gymnastics coaching, volunteering in the Dominican Republic, behavioral therapy, etc.) trying to find out what I wanted to specialize in. I learned that I loved standing up for the rights of people with disabilities, conducting interviews and assessments, and helping design programs. But as soon as I worked with the emotions experienced by people with severe mental illness in the homeless shelter I knew that becoming a psychologist would drain me.

What are some of the occupations you engage in?
I currently enjoy drawing/crafting, hiking, exploring/trying new things, going to the gym, team sports, and yoga.

If you could choose anyone (living or dead) to be your mentor, who would you pick?
I would choose Carl Jung to be my mentor. His philosophy for what is needed for human growth would transform me as a person and as a practitioner.

How do you want to be remembered?
I want to be remembered as someone who was caring and loving toward anyone who came into her life. Even if I’m not this person now that is who I strive to be.

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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.