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Joyce Yoo MA ’19

What brought you to occupational therapy?
My grandmother’s experience with an incomplete spinal cord injury brought my family together. As I saw the way she went through the rehabilitation process, I was in awe of the power of therapy. In addition, I went on two service trips to Kenya and Brazil. Being in a different country where locals had no idea what a wheelchair was opened my eyes to a world outside of the states. With these experiences together, I realized that I wanted to pursue a career in serving others!

What area of practice are you interested in?
Mental Health! Mental Health! Mental Health! Society has been making progress towards decreasing the stigmatization of mental illnesses and psychiatric disorders. But there is still much more to do. Many of these issues are misunderstood and poorly represented. I want to take an active role in making small changes.

What are some of the occupations you engage in?
My two stress relieving occupations are dancing and shopping. You can probably find me dancing almost anywhere at any time. And well for shopping . . . I’ll be doing that online, in person, in my sleep. 😊

What song can you sing entirely by heart?
Empire State of Mind — Jay Z.

If your childhood had a smell, what would it be?
Bath and Body Works Sweet Pea.

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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.