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

Eddie Chu MA ’18

What brought you to occupational therapy?
Working in a psychology and education setting for most of my life, I have always been an enthusiast for understanding what is lesser known and learning what has yet to be learned. Through my experiences as a counselor, paraprofessional, behavioral coach, field researcher, and many other roles, I found one major aspect that was in common with them all: sincerity. Sincerity with the professional work I provide, and sincerity with the respect and gratefulness from the people I’ve worked with. Nothing can really top the feeling of someone telling you that you’ve made a difference in their lives. I can only imagine how much more I am able to provide for those who I will work with when I am able to utilize the biopsychosocial aspect of occupational therapy.

What are some of the occupations you engage in?
I am an avid traveler, and hope to continue that occupation. As a traveler, I get to experience so many cultures and seeing the different ways that people go about their lives, occupations, etc. I am grateful for the lifestyle I am able to have, something that I feel could be quite different had I been in different cultures. When my travel funds run dry, I often enjoy doing various active sports, such as hiking, rock climbing, and playing basketball. I try not to decline any activities — trying new things is always on top of my list.

Tell us about your favorite memory from the program so far.
In all honesty, I miss the late-night summer study sessions. Despite there being a ton of information to learn and remember, it was definitely all of the bonding time my friends and I shared that brought us closer to each other. Whether it was studying for kinesiology or neuroscience, enjoying our dinner, or doing headstands and handstands during our study breaks, we stuck by each other and kept each other going. Summer, oh summer. Those were the days!

What do you think is the greatest invention of mankind?
The Internet. We are all interconnected now in SO many ways. Via news that can give information minutes after something happens. Via video calls that allows you to actually see your dear friends and family from afar in real time. Via learning tools that were only accessible through libraries, books, schools, etc. Via portability of access and ability to contact people (and stay connected) in so many various ways. How would all of this be possible without the Internet?

How do you want to be remembered?
I’ve thought about this for a bit. It would be pretty awesome if I had an acronym of my name as some sort of intervention plan or assessment tool. How cool would that 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 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.