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

Esther N. Sican MA ’23

What brought you to occupational therapy?
My Grandma Locha! When she was at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, she expressed her deep gratitude for the OTs that were working with her. Seeing her express joy and success in therapy led me to explore the world of OT.

How do you plan to use Occupational Therapy in the future?
I plan to use OT in the future by promoting wellness within Mental Health in Pediatrics. I want to bring meditation, yoga, creativity, spirituality, and other alternative modalities into my practice.

What are some of the occupations you engage in?
Some of the occupations I engage in are dancing, singing, telling jokes, hugging trees, and going on many adventures with friends and family.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
The best piece of advice I resonate with is by Ram Dass. He says, “Wherever you are, be all there.”

If you could be immortal, what age would you choose to stop aging at and why?
If I could be immortal I would want to stop aging at age 40. Its a lovely age and I feel I would have loads of wisdom!

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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.