Student Blog
Ode to Ambassadors (and Kim) Part II ⟩
May 14, 2014, by Clarissa
I have loved being a student ambassador this year and am so grateful I had this amazing opportunity. When I was a prospective student, I attended an admissions info session and met a previous student ambassador. I decided right then and there that I wanted to be just like him, mentoring prospective students and marketing a profession I truly believe in.
Lo and behold, my dream came true! I still remember when my supervisor Kim Kelton called me and offered me the student ambassador position. I was ELATED.
Working with the ambassadors and Kim this year has been such a valuable experience. I learned so much from my tasks on the job — I have better public speaking abilities, more self-confidence, and an increased passion for advocating for OT. I also learned a lot from my incredible team.
My fellow student ambassador Rob previously wrote an Ode to Ambassadors blog post and this post is the highly anticipated sequel!
I’ll start with Rob, who has taught me to let go. From him, I’ve learned that issues giving me nervous breakdowns — I’m a worrywart if you can’t tell — don’t matter as much as I think they do in the moment. He’s also taught me to add a bit of fun to everything. Here’s a picture of him sleeping under our supervisor’s desk, which him, our fellow student ambassador Kate, and I decorated with pictures of the ambassador team. I love our shenanigans!
Next is Kate, who is wonderfully sassy and confident. Whenever I feel doubtful about my ability to manage a situation, I pretend I’m Kate. She’s also taught me to be more vocal about my opinions. Kate is so versatile — she can be professional Kate to roll-around-in-grass-with-kids-in-Ghana Kate. Here’s a picture of us together on our Ghana trip.
Ryan is simply a ray of sunshine. No matter how difficult her life situations are or how badly her stomach hurts during ambassador meetings, she radiates positivity. From her, I’ve learned to hone in on silver linings. She also has some incredible dance moves.
I’ve worked with Jen closely in the Occupational Therapy and Science Council (OTSC) as well as as an ambassador! Jen is the co-chair of OTSC and I’m the social chair, so I know she’s great at running meetings and effectively delegating tasks. I tend to put a lot of weight on my own shoulders because I’m a perfectionist. I’ve learned from Jen and, by the end of the year, ran meetings and delegated tasks for the End of the Year Party (see this blog post) committee! Here’s me and Jen — with some photobombers — at a tailgate at the very beginning of the year.
Last but not least, we have our esteemed leader Kim Kelton. She’s so great with balancing building rapport with us and being our supervisor. She’s so young, yet so accomplished! I’m always in awe at her efficiency, dedication, and eloquence. Thanks for being our role model, Kim, and for making our professional development your priority. As you can see in this picture, we love you!
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Such Great Heights ⟩
May 14, 2014, by Clarissa
The end of the year celebration, themed Such Great Heights, was this past Saturday! As you know, I’m the social chair of the Occupational Therapy and Science Council (OTSC) and, this year, I was responsible for spearheading our huge year-end party. It was a long process and big team effort — I started all the way back in December and the historians of OTSC even made a promotional video for it! We had a ton of fun filming the promotional video, which I starred in! My favorite part is where my friend Jon uses the reacher to put on his jacket — love nerdy OT jokes.
I heard that everyone had such a great time! It was at the Bonaventure Brewing Company in the Westin Hotel, which is in downtown LA. It was on a rooftop, hence the Such Great Heights theme, so there was an outdoor patio area for people to chat and a DJ indoors. It was such a beautiful venue! Here’s a picture with me and some OT friends in the outdoor patio area.
There were about 200 attendees, which included students, faculty, and staff members. It was so great celebrating our achievements with the wonderful people that my fellow OTs are. Hanging out with the staff/faculty and their significant others was also really cool. Food, open bar, good company, a slideshow, and a photobooth — what more could we ask for in a party?!
Here are my fellow student ambassadors with our incredible supervisor Kim! The photobooth picture is on the bottom, juxtaposed with a picture we took at the beginning of the year. This was a crazy fun group to work with all throughout the year!
By the way, Rob is floating head because he wore a green shirt (on purpose) and there was a green screen — he did it by accident at the photobooth last year and decided to continue the tradition this year.
The party was infinitely fun because I was surrounded by people I look up to and love. These 2 years flew by and I’m so lucky to have had both educationally rich and fun experiences. I was definitely getting choked up during the OTSC 2014 Slideshow.
Earning my Master’s here at USC was an unforgettable experience and one that I will treasure always.
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OMG!!! ⟩
May 13, 2014, by Ryan
I cannot believe this is my last blog, the last time I will work in the office, the last time I will be an OT graduate student here at USC. I dreamed about this moment for a long time so it feels very surreal. I have to say, it has all been worth it. Being a student ambassador, I have been reminded of what it was like to apply and be stressed about where to go, the cost, etc. Deciding to go to USC was one of the best decisions I have made in my life. I have had such a great class to be inspired and loved by. I have made the most wonderful and supportive life-long friends. I adore the faculty and am so impressed by them every class, each semester. I feel that I am a completely different person coming out of this program than when I entered. I will miss these hallways and saying hello to everyone I see. I am going to miss the routine of having lunch on the patio chatting with my friends. I am going to miss that feeling of growing and inspiration throughout my classes. I am so grateful for this opportunity and for anyone who is applying or about to enter the program, you are in for an amazing and wonderful ride!
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Leaving Los Angeles . . . ⟩
May 12, 2014, by Kate
This summer, I am embarking on an adventure! I will be completing my second Level II fieldwork in Seattle. I am pretty excited, as I’ve never really lived in the Pacific Northwest. My parents moved to West Seattle in 2006, right when I graduated from USC (the first time). I will be moving in with them for the summer, living in the basement apartment of their house. My fieldwork is in Puyallup, at a children’s therapy clinic. I’m excited for a little bit more green scenery and some occasional raindrops! I’ve lived in Los Angeles since I came to USC in 2002 for undergrad, and it has been a truly magical experience. I love the weather — there is no place else like it in the world!! I also love the variety of experiences that LA offers — from the best restaurants, to the magic of Hollywood, to sunny beaches, to great hiking, to art and history, this city has a place in my heart. I know I will be back in August to begin my doctorate work, but it is going to be welcome adventure to experience something new for 12 weeks!
Which reminds me . . . It is my last day as a Student Ambassador! I have loved the last 9 months writing this blog and representing the Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. I have learned and grown a lot, and now I am ready to accept my diploma this Friday. So, here’s to the future!! Cheers!
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The End and the Beginning ⟩
May 12, 2014, by Clarissa
I’m graduating this Friday! Time really has flown. So much has happened this Spring semester and I have a dream that I will still post 15+ blog posts this week so I can update all of you about the past 3 months. Get ready for my blog binge!
Life has been crazy. I was so busy the week before this studying for the comprehensive exam, which took place last Monday. The exam consisted of 6 classes of material that spanned from Fall semester of first year to Spring semester of our second year. Yes, when I say “comprehensive,” I really mean comprehensive! Our class was great, though, about making study guides together for the test.
So I found out a couple days later that I passed it! It looks like my Master’s is in the bag (given that I pass this summer’s clinical internship). WOOHOO! Here’s my fellow student ambassador Rob and I celebrating our victory! We’re moving on to bigger things!
What bigger and better things, you ask? I have 3 months of clinical internship this summer at California Children’s Services, which is a pediatric physical disabilities site. This is the practice area I want to go into, so I’m really excited for my experience there this summer!
Another big experience on the horizon is my doctoral residency next year! At USC, we have a doctorate program that takes 1 year to complete after we finish the Master’s. The residency has several tracks and I’m doing the “Advanced Clinical Practice” track. I’ve been researching and interviewing at different potential residency sites throughout this semester.
After doing observations last week at a couple of sites, I finally decided on spending the next year at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center as a doctoral resident. I actually took the motor control class here last year and I fell in love with this place — hooray for more learning and growing at this amazing institution next year!
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