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

Nicole Manalo MA ’21

What brought you to occupational therapy?
I began exploring different healthcare professions after feeling like medicine wasn’t the best fit for me. I love that OT upholds the dignity of the whole person by valuing the mind, body, and spirit, and by looking at what gives their life meaning.

What area of practice are you interested in?
Since the beginning of the program, I’ve been interested in exploring occupational therapy’s emerging role in primary care.

Describe your background before coming to occupational therapy.
I studied Integrative Biology and minored in Peace and Conflict Studies at UC Berkeley. I came from a background of health coaching older adults during college and working in faith ministry for 3 years after college. Both of these experiences convicted me of the importance of OT because I got to see how engagement in meaningful activities helped people to thrive.

Tell us about your favorite memory from the program so far.
I have been so touched by seeing people support one another, whether that’s been in our fieldwork debrief sessions during our mental health class or the bible study some of my friends and I started from the beginning of the program!

If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?
I wish I could time travel and see my mom and dad growing up in the Philippines. Hehe. 😊 But also, I want to visit Japan and Croatia.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
To love the unique heart I have been given and to love myself because I am unrepeatable. 😊 When I am convicted of that, I am able to look at each person and treasure their dignity and how unique, unrepeatable, and loved they are.

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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.