Home ⟩The People of USC Chan ⟩Meet Our Trojan Family ⟩Entry-Level Doctorate (OTD)

Ariana Cristino MA ’19

What brought you to occupational therapy?
The blend of mental and physical health is what initially drew me to OT. When I first learned about this field, I thought it was refreshing to see clinicians treat the holistic individual, rather than the isolated symptom. After observing OTs in a variety of clinical and academic settings, I decided this was the path for me.

What area of practice are you interested in?
Besides Hand Therapy and Animal-Assisted Therapy, I’m really interested in incorporating environmental sustainability into my practice. I’m thankful this field is flexible, so I’m not limited to choosing just one!

What are some of the occupations you engage in?
I love creating playlists, doing yoga, scouring flea markets, and dancing to live music. You could say LA has been the perfect place to support my occupations.

Tell us about your favorite memory from the program so far.
So far, my favorite memory is the Craft & Creativity studio. I’ve had the opportunity to try so many new creative mediums, like tiling and grout, and I’ll always cherish the pieces I created in there.

If we opened your fridge, what would we see?
Lots of carrots and hummus, peanut butter, and Korean face masks!

If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?
I’ve always wanted to visit my grandmother’s hometown in Greece. It’s a beach town near Athens, and it’s on my bucket list as the first place to go after graduation!

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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.