Student Blog
Comic Relief ⟩
April 11, 2013, by Alisa
Community Getting Involved Living in LA
Last night I went to a comedy show on the other side of town, UCLA. I really don’t have anything against UCLA, except that they rejected me for undergrad, which made me found something better — OT at USC. UCLA unfortunately doesn’t have an OT school. Anyway, my friend invited me to see the comedy show, Kristina Wong: Going Green the Wong Way. She has done numerous tours throughout the US and Europe. She chronicled her efforts for a greener, more sustainable lifestyle since middle school until now. She recalled her experiences campaigning with CALPIRG, driving a twenty-five year old Mercedes that completely ran on vegetable oil, and learning wisdom on public transportation. I don’t want to reveal too much, but it’s great to see how the efforts of one woman to save the world could be inspirational yet hilarious. After the show, we were invited to have dinner with Kristina and the crew. While deciding on where to eat, the car that Kristina’s props were in did not start up. We tried to jump it with 2 cars, but to no avail. We spent half an hour flagging down cars to help us on the UCLA campus, but none could. I understand it could be a liability issue, but still. While calling for help to come, a crew member and I went to do an In-N-Out run for everyone. Afterwards, we went to Kristina’s house to enjoy ourselves this meal. From this unexpected adventure, I gained six new friends. I was able to talk to them about occupational therapy, and we all departed with happy stomachs. It was a night to remember.
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Goodwill and OT ⟩
April 10, 2013, by Kendra
These last few weeks I have had several transformative experiences, but more on those later. Last weekend was the OT Extravaganza, an event hosted each year by the Division of OS and OT and put together by members of PTE (the student honor society). This year’s theme was Leadership, and as part of the event students were allowed to enter their Leadership Externship experiences into a competition.
I am thrilled to say my partner Jane and I won for our work with Mujeres Fuertes along with two other amazing gals who went to Costa Rica.
This was such a HUGE honor and a source of immense pride for Jane and myself because we have also been awarded the Extraordinary Engagement Award by USC for our work with Mujeres Fuertes. It feels like here at the end of our education that things are falling into place, that our education has helped us to become not just advocates for OT, but for women, health, and the community. And that’s just one program!
My heart was near to bursting on Sunday, after so much good will from our school, when we returned to the group to lead a stress management session. Every. Single. Time that I work with the women, share with them, learn from them I feel transformed. I forgot in my desire to help others make positive change, that their lives can have a tremendous impact on my own. I feel that I have a new community of support bonded by the simple fact that we are women and we want to feel better about our lives.
Above we are “releasing” the stress we cannot control by tying it to a balloon and letting go. Such a simple exercise carried so much weight and meaning to all of us.
Occupational therapy is so powerful, not just for the client but for the therapist as well. I feel an enormous wealth of positivity surrounding me as I make my transition from school to the workforce.
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Better late than never ⟩
April 10, 2013, by Paula
It has been WAY too long since I have made an entry (whoops!). The past month has been filled with so many activities, visitors, projects, discussions, and so much planning for the remainder of the semester! Although the externship is now a few weeks behind us, I know that it is constantly present in each of our minds. As I mentioned weeks ago, I had the amazing opportunity to work alongside an interdisciplinary palliative care team here in Los Angeles and to advocate the importance of an OT being a member of their team. My experience was so eye-opening and I think of the people I worked with through those two weeks still every day — I know that this will not change anytime soon. The team was extremely receptive and supportive of what I had to bring to the table and of my ideas and examples for the applicability of OT to serve this population. It was a very exciting, invigorating experience for me to be able to advocate for the profession in this way.
Needless to say, this is a challenging population to work with no matter how you look at things. Overall, it was great to see how the team supports one another and how they ultimately put the family and their concerns at the forefront of treatment. Although we would all wish this quality of treatment for a family member or friend, it is sadly not the reality for many people needing medical attention. One of the most powerful experiences I had during my externship occurred in debrief/conversation with my direct supervisor after we had visited a patient and the family. She told me: “you have to have somewhere to put all of this.” And it is as simple as that. We require balance just as our patients do. If we as practitioners don’t take the time to process and really work through what we are experiencing in the workplace, then how are we possibly expecting to provide our patients with the highest quality of care we can offer? It made me think back to a professor within the Division who told the class in one of our first lectures when we began the program. She told us all that “you need to have therapy before you can give therapy.” This gives a whole new way for us as OTs to evaluate our own capacity for MINDFULNESS. :]
This past Friday, the Division hosted the Admitted Student Reception in which we welcomed the newest addition to the USC OT family — SO FUN! It was great to be a part of this event as a Student Ambassador, as I very clearly remember the 2011 Reception where I finally decided to take the USC plunge :] The new class is amazing and so enthusiastic about OT.
Saturday was the annual Relay For Life at USC. This event is a 24-hour fundraiser for The American Cancer Society and has been close to my heart for many years. Our team this year, “OT4LIFE,” was a great representation of OT spirit. This event made me think back to the days at my externship site and the support and value that a community can provide to someone fighting through such a hard battle, such as those living with cancer. Many of the children I worked with had been told that they would not make it to their next birthday. At Relay, I was able to speak with several adults who had been told the same thing, either about their own health or that of their child. But they were still present at an event in order to give back and continue to be involved in the community which had offered them support in a difficult time. Talk about perseverance and having the will to FIGHT BACK. Read about one of the touching stories shared at Relay For Life.
We’re just 10 days into April and OT month with so many awesome events and experiences already. Keep them coming, I’m loving it.
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Dos Mujeres Fuertes ⟩
April 8, 2013, by Ricky
This weekend, I had the honor of volunteering at Mujeres Fuertes. As those of you who read her blog may already know, my co-ambassador/classmate, Kendra, has co-founded a community-based program for at-risk women. The program takes place every other week in Boyle Heights. I mentioned to Kendra, several times, that I lived right down the street from the place — I think I might have finally worn her down because she and her co-founder, Jane, invited me to help-out yesterday. 😊 Oh my goodness!!!!! Jane sent the volunteers an email this morning saying how she was “impressed, humbled, and very proud” of our participation. Well, I cannot tell you all how impressed, humbled, and super-very proud I am of these two young ladies! I didn’t know how powerful one hour every other week could be, but yesterday I met some women who have made some marked progress in their daily lives. Even during the session, these women were experiencing some profound personal growth, and being drawn to tears. These girls have brought some real value to this community. I was floored by their level of professionalism, in how well prepared and creative they were, and how therapeutic and receptive they were. It seemed like they had been running the program for several years. Again, so proud of you gals. Keep it up!
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OT Month Kick-Off Celebration ⟩
April 4, 2013, by Alisa
On Monday we had a kick-off party on the quad for Occupational Therapy Month. There were many students from various disciplines. This was great visibility for occupational therapy. We provided lunch, buttons, bookmarks, skits, et cetera. Happy OT Month! Fight on!
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