Good Days on My Mind

May 3, 2021
by Calvin

Diversity What are OS/OT?

Wow, time sure does fly by, huh? I shouldn’t be surprised at this point, but graduation happening next week still seems so crazy to me! Almost two years have gone by since I officially started this program and so much has happened since then. I’ve made amazing, life-long friends, overcome so many obstacles to get here, developed an even stronger love and passion for occupational therapy, and I’m happy! I’m happy with where I am today and I’m happy with the person that I’ve grown to become.

And, of course, I couldn’t have gotten this far without my support system — the people that have truly made my experience here special and made me feel like I belong.

To my friends: You know exactly who you are!!! Thank you for always being there for me and for making graduate school such an unforgettable experience. Thank you for the late-night talks, the vent sessions, the hangouts, the crying and the laughter, and the what-the-heck-am-I-going-to-do-in-the-future panic conversations 😅. Thank you for everything, and I can’t wait to celebrate with you all very very soon 😊!

To my ambassador team: We really put in the WORK this year and I’m so blessed to have been able to collaborate with all of you. I really wish we could’ve been together in person, but I’m grateful that we made it work out and even found time to hang out with each other recently! If it wasn’t for this student ambassador position, I feel like I wouldn’t have had the chance to talk with y’all as often, and for that, I am beyond grateful 😊. AND thank you, Kim Kho! You have always been such a supportive, caring, and understanding supervisor while having to juggle so much on your plate. You’ve really helped make my ambassador experience memorable and it’s been wonderful getting to know you! Also, big thank you to the Admissions Team, Dr. Mike McNulty, Bianca Ojeda and Paul Bailey — what would we do without all of you?!?!

To my mentors: I’m so thankful to all of you — faculty and student mentors alike. Graduate school was a scary thing to jump into, but because of your unwavering support, I was able to navigate it with more ease and develop that sense of confidence and belonging. I also really want to give a huge thank you to Dr. Daniel Park. Danny, you’re just the best! I’ll never forget the day when I first met you and was introduced to your kind and approachable personality. I was just a lost, new student that was interested in participating in Global Initiatives, and you welcomed me with open arms. I always feel like everything is going to be okay when I talk to you, and you’ve absolutely made a positive impact on my experience here. Thanks so much for your guidance, mentorship, and friendship, Danny!

To my family: I don’t think saying “thank you” is ever enough to express my gratitude to you. You’ve worked so hard to get to where you are and help me get to where I am — I’m just forever grateful for everything you’ve done for me. Although I rarely say it, I love you, and even though you still don’t really know what occupational therapy is 😂, you’ve been a huge part of my journey and I could not have done this without you. Thank you and love you!

My time spent in the Master’s program has been incredibly meaningful, and I know that good days will continue to be on the horizon. However, this definitely isn’t goodbye yet haha! I’ll be sticking around for one more year to pursue the policy and administration track of the occupational therapy doctorate, completing my residency with the USC Chan Division China Initiative!

As sad as I am that this is the last time I’ll be writing these blogs, I’m super excited for this opportunity and I can’t wait to see where this journey takes me! Thank you to all of you for reading my blogs and watching my videos. It means so much to me and I hope that we can all cross paths someday. For now, stay well, take good care, and I’m wishing you all the best! Fight On!

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