Student Blog
Brenda

The time has come . . . ⟩
May 13, 2015, by Brenda

While I am excited to be graduating in two short days, I am saddened that today will be my last day in the office. I have had such an amazing time working as a Student Ambassador. Kim Kelton and my fellow team members have made this experience so special! A big thank you to them and all that I have had a privilege to work and communicate with. Until next time . . .

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LOTA-eria! ⟩
May 1, 2015, by Brenda

Diversity

LOTA, the Latino Occupational Therapy Association, hosted its first LOTA-ería event yesterday on campus! Based on the Mexican Lotería, LOTA-ería uses images that are intended to help students with their OT Spanish. LOTA hopes to continue hosting events such as these in an effort to promote diversity!

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Time to Pack! ⟩
February 20, 2015, by Brenda

In one week, I will be on my way to South Korea! And I am so very excited. I can’t believe the time has come. And in a very Brenda tradition, I am only now beginning to prepare for my three week trip. I have started by buying new socks, yes socks. Clearly, you cannot go on a trip without some new socks. Baby steps, baby steps. And since it is winter in Korea right now, packing is going to require some extra thought. Here in Southern California, weather remains pleasant pretty much all year long. The forecast in South Korea is looking a little colder than usual. I am going to be welcomed by 30-40 degree weather. Brrrrrrrrr. Wish me luck!

While I work on packing, I will leave you all with some pictures of my awesome dog Mosquito. I will only be gone for three weeks, but I know I will sure miss his warm cuddling.

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Semester Electives ⟩
February 12, 2015, by Brenda

Classes

I’m a tad late, BUT I just wanted to give a shout-out to my favorite cohort of all time, COHORT C! I miss you guys. Even though last semester was the last semester we had class all together, I’m glad I still get too see many of you in various classes this semester.

This semester, as many other ambassadors have written about, is the semester in which we get to pick our own classes. While the program prepares you to become a general practitioner, this is the semester in which we get to explore the things we are most interested in. This is a great opportunity to learn more about a specific population or domain of occupational therapy practice. For many students, like myself, deciding these electives can be a daunting task. This is only because my interests are so vast. When asked what I’m interested in, I always say, “Everything under the sun. Except for pediatrics.” And while my answer is so definitive when it comes to pediatric practice, I still secretly think that there is a itty bitty chance I may change my mind about this down the road. In the end, I chose classes that were most interesting to me. These include Motor Control, Acute Care, Optimal Living with Multiple Sclerosis, and Therapeutic Communication. Although it took me some time to solidify my schedule this semester, these classes have been awesome. I have really been enjoying them equally. In Motor Control, we get to go to Rancho Los Amigos and learn all about proper mobilization techniques and in Optimal Living, we get to work alongside participants living with MS and work towards their goals using principles of Lifestyle Redesign. All my classes are somewhat different from each other, which keeps in line with where my interests lie, all over the place. Nevertheless, I am very grateful we get to have this unique opportunity at USC. If you are curious about what other classes are offered in this semester, you can find a list of them on our website.

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Buy the ticket, take the ride ⟩
January 29, 2015, by Brenda

Externships

So I did it! I booked my flight for South Korea yesterday. I will be there for about three weeks in March. I am ecstatic! It’s been awhile since my last travels. In undergrad, I had the privilege to study abroad in Vietnam. So now in grad school, I will be visiting Yonsei University in South Korea as part of my externship experience. Externships are a requirement for our OT 540 Leadership Capstone class. This class is taken second semester of our second year in the program. The purpose of the course is to further help students with professional development. Externships are student driven and designed to build leadership, communication and professional skills. They are also intended as a means to explore topics that are covered in class. The options for these are endless. Some students choose to stay locally and explore private practice environments, different community-based organizations, or different clinics and hospitals. Other students also choose to volunteer. Some of my really close friends will be going to Costa Rica to volunteer at an orphanage. Like them, I have decided to do my externship internationally. I will be going to South Korea with division along with seven other students. March can’t come any sooner! If anyone out there has any suggestions of what I should do when I’m there, please don’t hesitate to reply to this post! 😊

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