Student Blog

One Step Closer ⟩
August 21, 2014, by Claire

Fieldwork Getting Involved What are OS/OT?

It is a couple days before USC Commencement 2014! It’s hard to believe that my time as an undergraduate at USC is officially coming to an end. “Officially,” because I feel like I’ve been done with my undergrad for forever, but now I’m finally getting the diploma! Hooray! People often get confused about my class standing, actually. (“So . . . you’re both an undergrad and grad student right now?”) I technically finished all my undergraduate credits in my third year and this past year was my first year Master’s. When I tell friends that I’m staying another year, they think I’m a super senior when actually it’s to wrap up the master’s degree in occupational therapy. Talk about some identity crisis!

So, we are done with the first year in the program!! Most of us have two weeks off until the start of Level II fieldwork. This year has been absolutely amazing. I befriended so many talented classmates with a huge variety of backgrounds that all the passion to become occupational therapists. The faculty has lots of experience (seriously, mad respect for them). The two immersions that I went through this year were mental health and pediatrics. This summer, my Level II fieldwork will be at a pediatric clinic in Northern California. Part of me is super excited and another part of me is going EEPS! I am sure it will be a very valuable learning experience, and I’m looking forward to it.

Looking back to my first moments at USC, it has been so cool to see how OT is now a much more well-known area of study among the students. When I came in to USC with a Pre-Occupational Therapy emphasis, I remember needing to explain what OT is to basically every person that I met. (Wow, this is a major throwback to four years ago. I’ll try not to be too sentimental.) Now, I’m meeting a lot of first and second year undergrads who are already applying into the OT program, which is awesome! I am aware that the program is becoming increasingly competitive, and some of my advice to undergrads is to get involved! I was active in the USC Pre-OT club, which was a great way to see OT in practice. USC OT elective classes are informative, fun, and a good way to meet faculty (hint: letters of recs!). Volunteering and getting as much exposure to OT is also definitely recommended — that’s how I first learned about OT too! I was in high school trying to collect some community service hours to graduate and I met OTs at the center that I was volunteering at. I loved the idea of improving health and development through fun (we were working with children), did some research about OT, and found myself here at USC.

There’s so much to learn still about OT! I will be keeping you updated as the summer goes on! Congratulations to the Class of 2014, hooray, everyone!

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The end is also a beginning ⟩
May 24, 2014, by Rob

Admissions Beginnings and Endings Community What are OS/OT?

Four years ago, I was a fishing reporter living in Arkansas. That version of myself would never recognize the me I have become. My life has forever changed, and I have been enriched by the imprint these two years have made on my life.

I learned how to open myself to life and the people that come into it, forming friendships I hope will last a lifetime.

I learned a lot about disability — in a sense, we are all disabled in some way or another — is there even such a thing as normal? I learned how to define occupational therapy. I did it so many times, I will probably have a dream where someone asks me “Does OT mean ‘overtime’?” And then I spend the next five minutes explaining what occupational therapy is. I’m not even kidding. This is going to happen.

I imagine coming to OT school at USC is kind of like going to school at Hogwarts, minus the wands, flying brooms and Argus Filch, of course. There is something special about being selected to the top program in the country and then spending two years getting to know every little nuance of the buildings, professors, and classmates that occupy the space with you. It’s like life stands still for two years — a period of shelter from the world of work, adulthood, and responsibility. Those things still exist in graduate school, of course, but they are different somehow — more temporal in nature.

For those about to begin the journey into the depths of the occupational therapy profession, good luck to you. For those that still dream about that journey, keep working towards it. What lies in the hallowed halls of USC’s Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy is worth everything you put into it.

Fight on!

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Graduation and Gratitude ⟩
May 18, 2014, by Clarissa

Community

Graduation happened! The ceremony was beautiful and the featured speaker this year was Elizabeth Yerxa — a legend in OT. I read her work and watched videos of her speeches! Of course, her speech was wonderfully inspirational.

The best thing about graduation, though, is sharing it with those who helped me reach my dreams. Pictured here is a book of messages and pictures my sister collected from my family and friends. I’m humbled by all the selfless love and support that surrounds me.

Here’s my family — without them, I’d be nowhere near where I am now. From doing my laundry to advising me on big life decisions to dealing with my short fuse during stressful times, they’ve been there. I owe them absolutely everything.

My friends light up my life. My home, college friends, and post-college friends were there through my quarter life crisis before I found OT. Our friendships never faltered, no matter how little I saw them through busy grad school. There are also my closest grad school friends who got me through all-weekend study marathons, who shared in life-changing travel experiences with me (see post about Ghana), and who support all my grad school endeavors, whether it is attending the socials I plan or debriefing challenging clinical experiences with me. I know we’ll be lifelong friends.

My absolute favorite thing about the program is the people. I feel so fortunate to have been a part of the Class of 2014 — every person in my class is selfless, warm, motivated, and supportive. My wonderful classmates made every single day in class something to look forward to. Because I have these amazing people to look up to, I am closer to the person I want to become. Whether it is developing rapport with patients or leading advocacy efforts for OT, I’ve learned from them all. They will make such a positive impact on so many people and I am proud to call them my colleagues and friends.

We did it!

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Ode to Ambassadors (and Kim) Part II ⟩
May 14, 2014, by Clarissa

Community

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

Community Living in LA

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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