Student Blog
Send Silence Packing ⟩
October 13, 2011, by Alix
I’m looking forward to an event at USC tomorrow called Send Silence Packing. Sponsored by Active Minds, Inc., this event will include an exhibit of 1,100 backpacks on the lawn of Alumni Park, each one representing a college student who lost his or her life to suicide in the past year. The backpacks contain stories, photos, and other mementos from family members who have lost their loved ones to suicide. Mental health issues on campus can sometimes be difficult to talk about, so I think this will be a powerful way to raise awareness and promote dialogue. Best of luck to everybody volunteering at the event tomorrow.
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Career Day ⟩
October 12, 2011, by Floyd
Community Getting Involved What are OS/OT?
What do an occupational therapist and funeral counselor have in common? We are both paired up as related professions in order to speak to high school students for Career Day.
It was great to meet so many high school students who are enthusiastic and curious about their future. This was a good opportunity to spread awareness of occupational therapy to the youth so they can have an idea of the wonderful profession of occupational therapy. At first I thought the students would ask questions relating to compensation, but I was totally wrong. Most questions were addressed to the lifestyle of an OT and the satisfaction of working with people. The students and even the teacher were engaged and very interested in learning about this profession. It is always nice to see the expression on people’s faces when they first learn about what occupational therapy is and how it can impact a person’s life and well-being.
I also learned much about the skills needed to be a funeral counselor. They work with people during times of sadness and sensitivity. Sometimes, therapists have to do the same, so it was nice to find a commonality between our professions. All in all, it was a great learning experience for all of us.
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Learning How to Make Pizza ⟩
October 7, 2011, by Alix
One of my electives this semester is called “Optimal Living with Multiple Sclerosis.” The class, which is co-sponsored by the National MS Society, allows us (OT students) to pair up with individuals who have Multiple Sclerosis. Together, we work with the participants to maximize their health and happiness by addressing habits, routines, and activities of daily living. Today’s topic was “Nutrition and Cooking,” so we decided to make pizza in order to educate the participants about energy conservation techniques, pacing, and adaptive equipment for the kitchen. When we were planning the activity, I thought that we would buy some pre-made pizza dough, throw some Ragu on it, and call it pizza. But I was surprised to find out that one of the participants, David, is a chef by trade and knew of a great Italian grocer in Burbank. He volunteered to bring all of the dough, sauce, and cheese (I supplied the toppings), and then he taught us how to make pizza. I found out that you only need a pizza stone, which stays in the oven the whole time, and some flour to roll out the dough. Then you sprinkle some corn meal on a metal cookie sheet, spread the dough out on the sheet, and add the sauce/cheese/topings you like. Cook for six or seven minutes, and it’s ready to eat. The class went well, and we got to teach a lot of the participants how to cut ingredients with an adaptive “rocking” knife and an adaptive cutting board. And of course the pizza was delicious. (Mine was the best: pesto, basil, onions, olives, and anchovies.)
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Spartan Race and OT school? ⟩
October 5, 2011, by Chris
Living in LA School/Life Balance
I’ve decided that I’m going to register to compete in the Spartan Race in Malibu next month. For those of you who don’t know, the Spartan Race is a 3 mile obstacle course involving mud running, rope climbing, balance beams, etc. I’ve started to kick up my training recently and it will be interesting to see if I can maintain my work-life balance. The USC OT flag football team will start its season on friday. Hopefully we don’t get stuck in an all male league again.
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Flamenco Anyone? ⟩
October 4, 2011, by Kimberly
Last Saturday night I went with friends to El Cid, a restaurant in Silverlake (a neighborhood near downtown LA) that offers dinner shows on the weekend featuring authentic Flamenco music and dancing. Now if you’ve never seen Flamenco, I would highly reccommend looking it up on YouTube to check it out. It is a unique style of music and dance that originated in Andalusian Spain (the south). The guitarrists, drummers, vocalists, and dancers all train for many years to understand not only their mediums, but the culture of Flamenco and the history behind it.
We had a great view of the show from our table in the balcony of the restaurant. It lasted for an hour and was passionate, emotional, beautiful, and very unique. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a little different venue for a Saturday night dinner out. It was nice to be with friends somewhere different than the local bar, to enjoy a lovely meal, some good Sangria, and the show. So if you live in LA or are thinking about USC, make sure to check out this and other cultural-unknowns throughout the city. There are many to explore and experience. Ole!
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