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Nicole Batoy MA ’23

What brought you to occupational therapy?
I was an Undeclared first-year undergraduate student when I first learned about occupational therapy while researching different healthcare professions. I immediately became interested because the field is so unique in the way that it addresses patients’ individual needs and lifestyles. I love occupational therapy because it is rooted in acceptance, understanding, and compassion and empowers others to live life healthily according to their own values and interests.

What are some of the occupations you engage in?
I love reading manga, fiction, and fashion magazines, buying and arranging flowers, thrift shopping, drawing, listening to Korean R&B, and taking pictures!

Describe your background before coming to occupational therapy.
I graduated from UC Irvine in 2020 with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Social Behavior and a minor in Asian American Studies. At UCI, I did field study as a peer life coach for the university’s Counseling Center, where I developed individualized goal-setting programs for first and second-year students with various social and academic needs. After graduation, I briefly worked for the Women’s Health department of a genetics company before coming to USC for my dream program!

If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?
I’d love to visit Tokyo for the Olympics and afterwards visit museums, try local restaurants, and spend an entire day just biking around any nearby city!

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
“There is no right or wrong way of doing things, just your way, so go at your own pace.”

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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.