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Lydia Cheung MA ’15

What brought you to occupational therapy?
One of my close friends got into a car accident and suffered third-degree burns to more than half of his body. I visited him several times during his stay at the ICU, and l learned that occupational therapist is part of his treatment team, but I had no idea what occupational therapy was. At that time, I had deferred my admission to a graduate program in Clinical Psychology because I was not certain whether that was the right career path for me. Then I thought to myself, “Why not explore other career option?” so I did some research online about OT, and volunteered at pediatric clinics. I realized OT was the right fit for me!

Describe your background before coming to occupational therapy.
I was an undergraduate research assistant in a Clinical Psychology lab, Developmental Psychology lab and Health Psychology Lab at the University of Texas at Arlington. I’ve also worked as an account manager at a pharmaceutical manufacturing company and a campaign manager at a marketing firm.

What are some of the occupations you engage in?
Cooking, shopping, eating, watching movies while sipping on wine, hiking, running and playing poker.

If we opened your fridge, what would we see?
Plain greek yogurt, orange juice, carrot juice, berries, avocados, chicken breasts and wine.

What are two truths and a lie about yourself?
I am the first college graduate in my family. I have to eat something every two hours; if not, I would get dizzy. I am half Japanese and half Chinese.

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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.