Student Blog

Puzzled ⟩
October 2, 2019, by Kevin

Life Hacks

While in graduate school it’s more important than ever to take care of yourself and find something you love to do for relaxation or fun! Since I was 13 years old, that activity for me is making puzzles. Soon after discovering the Rubik’s Cube, I was hooked and wanted to make my own puzzles. While I started from humble beginnings sculpting each puzzle piece by hand, technological advances and support from the community of fellow puzzle enthusiasts brought me to 3D-printing my puzzle designs from home! Through this hobby, I made friends with people all over the world and collaborated on designs that have been brought to the mass market.

Puzzles give me the creative and stress-relieving outlet I need at the end of each day to calm my mind. While some people view Rubik’s Cube as headache inducing, for me there is nothing more peaceful than creating and solving puzzles. Along with providing a productive self-care activity, I have turned this hobby into a part-time job selling puzzles on Etsy and designing for puzzle manufactures. 

This year, I challenged myself to create a new puzzle each week and so far I have met my goal and I am currently making my 40th design. Pictured below are some of my favorite designs from my puzzle-a-week challenge along with a picture of a 3D-design.

Within occupational therapy, I have used my puzzles to build rapport with clients and let them into my occupational world as they let me into theirs. Additionally, several of my less complex puzzles have been great for practicing fine motor and visual perception skills with kids!

As my puzzle-a-week challenge year comes to an end, I am shifting my focus to applying my love for 3D design and creation of complex mechanisms to the Mark and Semira Moshayedi Innovation Award competition. I am hoping to combine my love for creation with my passion for occupational therapy to create new ergonomic equipment! Look out for a blog in the future about the Moshayedi Innovation Award competition and the new Innovation Bootcamp!

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Hike to Hollywood! ⟩
October 2, 2019, by Japeth

Living in LA

Hiking is one of the best ways to exercise while looking at a nice view of nature! However, hiking can also be a very tiring occupation since it demands a lot of effort as we move around. Hiking to the Hollywood sign is just one of the many touristy things that anyone can do while they’re visiting Los Angeles. Last September 21, my classmates and I did the Hollywood hike. It took us nearly 2 hours to get to the top! It was indeed a very exhausting hike since we had to endure the heat of the sun but on the positive side, we all enjoyed each other’s company. There were times when some of us would stop whenever we find a spot shaded by the trees and make it as a short break and take it as a time for some jokes and small talks.

Hiking to the Hollywood sign on that day was actually our friends’ idea! Since our friends from Saudi Arabia were celebrating Saudi National Day and they were celebrating it by hiking, they were kind enough to invite us to join them. When we reached the top, we had some time to take selfies and pictures of each other. And needless to say, the view from the top was beautiful! We spent another hour at the top sitting and enjoying some Arabic Coffee, bread, and dates all the way from Saudi Arabia.

Of course, who wouldn’t be amazed by the ever-beautiful LA sunset? Sunsets are always a good view to see after a long day. To me, it brings so much peace and calmness. Sunsets always remind me that after a long and tiring day, we can all take a break and rest, and shine again the next day.

Until next time, fight on!

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You’ve Submitted Your Application, Now What? ⟩
October 1, 2019, by Catherine

Admissions Life Hacks

Congratulations to all who have submitted your OTD applications for the Chan residencies! You did it! I am happy and proud that you have decided to take the next step in your academic/professional journey. When I was in your position, applying for all the wonderful opportunities Chan has to offer, I had experienced anxieties about committing. More specially, I remember I was second guessing myself. Did I even know where I wanted to practice? What if I make the wrong choice and regret it? If this sounds familiar to you, I would like to share some strategies that helped me:

• Take a deep breath: Relax. The hardest part, taking that first step and leap of faith in yourself and capabilities is over. You got this.
• Reflect: Journaling, as you may all know, is a great way to organize your thoughts. Take some time to journal about why you came into OT in the first place. This will give you a visual aid in organizing your thoughts about where you want to take your OTD, and how you can make it fit into your career goals. This will also give you a foundation to work off of when prepping for interviews.
• Ask: If you have applied to one or more USC Chan residency, and want more information on what the residency looks like from a student perspective, don’t be shy to reach out to the current resident. We were all in your shoes once and can relate. If your feel uncomfortable cold calling a resident you don’t know, feel free to use me as an alternate resource.

I hope this post was helpful. And remember I am here for you!! 😃 ✌️

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Shoot Your Shot ⟩
September 26, 2019, by Kaho

Life Hacks

More often than I would prefer, I find myself setting limitations for what I can do. I’m a pretty logical person and I like to think things through. I’ve always been the type of person to meticulously plan out my life and think WAY into the future. I first decide on a goal that I want to achieve and then work my way backwards to figure out the steps that I need to take in order to achieve that goal. During this process, I always run into a roadblock. I suddenly realize that a certain step is unattainable (or at least I think it is). I begin to overthink and stress out. I convince myself that my goal is impossible to achieve. It’s over, I must give up. It wasn’t meant to be. At times like this, it helps me to verbalize my dilemma and talk it over with a person I trust. He/she pulls me out of my dramatic act and knocks some light into my tunnel vision filled with darkness. I realize that there are alternative paths that I can take that goes around the obstacle. In other cases, I’m given the courage and determination to continue down the path that I had initially planned to take and deal with the obstacle once I run into it. In past experiences, I was provided with tools to overcome the impediment right before running into it or the obstacle turned out to be much smaller than I had anticipated. As cliché as this may sound, everything really does work out in the end.

I’m sharing this with you today because I experienced another self-limiting episode very recently. The application deadline for the OTD is fast-approaching and it feels like there is a huge cloud of anxiety and uncertainty hovering over the heads of second year students. Every corner I turn and every door I open, I hear students discussing whether they want to pursue the OTD or not and where they may want to do their residency. It seems as though I can’t even use the restroom in peace. My ears are hypersensitive to this topic because I am also uncertain about what I want to do and where I want to go. Once again, I see a goal for myself, but I also saw a roadblock in my way that’s telling me to not even try because I’m unqualified or I don’t have the means. I expressed my concern with a friend and she looked at me, very confused.

“Wait . . . what? So you want something really badly, but what are you going to do to get it? Nothing. That makes no sense.”

Worded simply and bluntly like that, I realized how irrational I was being. I was telling myself that I should give up before even trying. There’s really no way of knowing whether I qualify or not until I try. If I don’t apply, then there definitely is zero chance. There have been numerous times throughout my life where situations that seemed impossible somehow turned out possible, and yet I still haven’t learned, apparently. 🙄

The moral of this story is to first, find a friend, significant other, family member, mentor, or anyone that will honestly and bluntly tell you when you’re not making sense. Find someone that will validate your feelings, but will also remove your horse blinders and contribute a fresh new perspective to your situation. More importantly, however, shoot your shot. You never know if you’ll make it without trying and the worst that can happen is you miss, right? And in that case, just pick up the ball and shoot again.

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Craving Crafts? ⟩
September 25, 2019, by Kevin

Classes Life Hacks

It’s no secret that OT 406 Foundations: Creativity, Craft and Activity is one of the most fun courses during your first summer session for the Entry-Level Professional Master’s. Unfortunately, the summer is over and the crafts have been put away, but that doesn’t mean you have to stop crafting and letting that creativity flow! Here is one my favorite crafts to help satisfy your crafting craving.

Memory Coasters

Have some pictures laying around that you would like to display creatively in your home? These memory coasters are the perfect way to show-off all those “instagramable” locations and start a conversation at dinner.

Materials needed

• Scissors
• Self-sealing lamination sheets or laminator
• Pictures
• One-Piece Mason Jar Lids, Wide Mouth
• EastCast Clear Epoxy
• Plastic Cups
• Stirring Sticks
• Gloves
• Wax Paper
• Double-sided Tape
• Marker

Directions

• Trace a circle around the portion of your photo you want to place in your coaster using the bottom of the Mason jar lid.
• Cut out the circle you just traced, then laminate your photo using either a lamination machine or self-sealing lamination sheets. Laminating the photo is an important step, as sunlight and the clear resin will pull the color out of the photo if not protected.
• Cut the laminated photo out a second time and secure the photo in the bottom of the Mason jar lid using adhesive or double-sided tape.
• Place Mason jar lids on a double layer of wax paper to protect the surface you are working on.
• Mix the clear epoxy resin using the directions provided with your resin and be sure to wear gloves and an apron to protect your skin and clothes. Pour epoxy resin into the Mason jar lids until the lid is about halfway full.
• Allow the epoxy resin to dry indoors where the coasters will not be disturbed for about 72 hours. Finally, pour yourself a drink and enjoy your beautiful memory coaster.

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