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Kezia Rusli MA ’16

What brought you to OT?
I heard about OT after going on a mission trip the summer after my sophomore year, which is when I made a career decision change. I was fortunate enough to be at USC for undergrad, where OT is really big. So I was able to take some OT classes and talk to some professors about it, and I fell in love with it. I love learning about people and what they like to do, so to discover a career where you do just that was super awesome.

What are some of the occupations you engage in?
As most of my friends know my favorite occupation of all time is playing board games! I like playing most, but my favorite of all is Ticket to Ride. I also like to play sports, go running, bake, watch TV, and lie in my bed. 😊

Tell us about your favorite memory from the program so far.
There are lots, but one would definitely have to be in Peds when we met adaptive equipment using cardboard boxes and foam lining. It was super cool to see how inventive we could be with such inexpensive household objects!

If we opened your fridge, what would you see?
Milk and yogurt (for overnight oats with strawberries in the freezer), food from my mom (she always brings me food yay!), spinach and kale (for salad and kale chips, my favorite!).

What do you think is the greatest invention of mankind?
It’s hard to choose just one, but the nerdy side of me says Excel is one of the greatest inventions ever. What could be much better than a program that organizes your life?

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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.