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

Hannah Franklin MA ’22

What brought you to occupational therapy?
From a young age, I developed a compassionate, patient, and driven demeanor that has shaped me into who I am today. Helping people across the lifespan is important as living a meaningful life provides purpose and significance. Enriching the lives of others has always been a priority to me, in that my personal, educational, and professional background indicate my passion for making a lasting impact on one’s life. With motivation to discover the field that would suit my aspirations to make a difference in the lives of others, I discovered the field of Occupational Therapy in my undergraduate years from an on-campus event at USC. From there, I minored in occupational science, and continued on to pursue my Master’s degree.

Describe your background before coming to occupational therapy.
I have always been drawn to helping others, even going so far as playing the roles of nurse, doctor, or teacher while interacting with other children when I was younger. After studying psychology in my undergraduate years, I knew that I wanted to work with patients through more hands-on experiences. After attending a seminar in my junior year of college, I was introduced to the field of Occupational Therapy. It was in this moment that I realized this was the profession I wanted to pursue in order to make lasting, positive impacts in individual’s lives, goals, and overall future.

What are some of the occupations you engage in?
Some of my favorite occupations include traveling, hiking, cooking, and photography.

If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?
Santorini, Greece or Italy!

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
The best piece of advice I have ever received is to view challenges as opportunities in order to grow and improve as an individual. As Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

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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.