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Nadia Raymundo MA ’22

What brought you to occupational therapy?
As an undergraduate student, I took an Intro to Educational and Vocational Guidance course. At the time I didn’t know about OT, and I also didn’t know what I wanted to do after graduation. I knew I wanted to be able to help people through a holistic approach and be able to work with different populations. One of our assignments was to take two different types of personality tests. When I got my results back, Occupational Therapy was a top career choice on both tests. I looked it up and instantly knew OT was the perfect fit for me, it was an incredible aha moment.

Describe your background before coming to occupational therapy.
I graduated with a BA in Psychology from UC Santa Barbara. During my time there, I was a peer educator at UCSB CARE and did programming for sexual assault prevention education and survivor self-care. I was also a research assistant and peer mentor for college students with autism through the Koegel Autism Center. I continued to work with the autism community as a Registered Behavior Technician before applying to graduate school.

What are some of the occupations you engage in?
My favorite occupations include baking, drinking coffee with my mom, hiking, and arts and crafts. I also really like to travel and try new foods.

If you were famous, what would you be famous for?
Staying up WAY past my bedtime watching a series or movie I can’t stop watching.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
My Mama Alicia (grandma) taught me the importance of going out for ice cream to make both good and bad times better.

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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.