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

Brittanie Fuentes MA ’19

What brought you to occupational therapy?
I knew I wanted to have a career helping and servicing others. A career in therapy seemed like an optimal route because I could satisfy my educational interests while learning about science and health. I fell in love with occupational therapy working as an instructional assistant for children who needed help improving their fine, gross, and social skills in a special education class. I have had the opportunity to observe incredible occupational therapists in multiple settings — a hippotherapy clinic, school, and private pediatric clinic — as well as volunteering in a research lab at USC over the past two years reinforced my decision to pursue this career.

What area of practice are you interested in?
I am especially interested in the pediatrics field; however, I look forward to exploring the various specialties that this program and occupational therapy as a whole have to offer!

Describe your background before coming to occupational therapy.
I have enjoyed my time working with kids of all ages. I was a Gymboree Play and Music teacher and loved incorporating art and music in lesson plans for children and their parents. More recently, I worked alongside with autistic children as a health assistant in a Kindergarten to 3rd grade special education classroom. This is where I really fell in love with occupational therapy because I could see the drastic improvement in children’s fine and gross motor skills, social skills, and more just by working with them!

What do you think is the greatest invention of mankind?
The greatest invention of mankind would have to be language. For one reason, every single human being uses language whether it is a language with words like English or Spanish or one without such as American Sign Language. Without language, it would be hard to define cultures, create a civilization, and education would be ineffective and baseless — just a dull world without any interaction or communication.

If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?
If I could travel anywhere, I would love to fly to Japan. I am especially interested in seeing Tokyo, absorbing the culture, and most importantly, indulging in the delicious food!

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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 fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education® (ACOTE). The USC entry-level OTD degree program (cost of attendance) has been granted Candidacy Status by ACOTE. View our program’s ACOTE standards public data. ACOTE c/o Accreditation Department, American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.®, 6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200, North Bethesda, MD 20852-4929, (301) 652-6611 x2914, acoteonline.org

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.