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

Mia McGovern MA ’19

What brought you to occupational therapy?
I’ve always had a passion for helping others, especially children. After exploring similar options, an older college friend suggested OT. After my first day at my internship (and every day after that) I knew OT was what I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing.

What area of practice are you interested in?
Although I’m excited to explore geriatrics and mental health, pediatrics is where my heart and passion lie!

Describe your background before coming to occupational therapy.
In college, I was a psych major and did a few internships at pediatric OT clinics, including one that involved the use of horses (hippotherapy). I took a year off while applying to graduate programs and worked as an ABA Behavior Interventionist for Easterseals, which was great experience in implementing therapeutic techniques before beginning my Masters program!

What are some of the occupations you engage in?
I love traveling, playing piano, exploring new coffee shops, and playing with my kitten Olive (crazy cat-mom in training)!

If we opened your fridge, what would we see?
A few things you’d find are hummus and carrots, Trader Joe’s soyaki, and Sprite Zero. (I’m not actually that healthy, all the chocolate and ice cream is in my freezer!)

If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?
I would travel back to Florence, Italy! It’s such a beautiful town that’s so rich in culture, and it’s filled with amazing people, pizza, and wine!

How do you want to be remembered?
I want to be remembered as a kind, loving person who loved her job and family and lived to help others. Also, my friends will probably remember me as an owl & coffee lover and a really good parallel parker!

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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.