How High School Got Me into OT School

May 30, 2020
by Calvin

What are OS/OT?

Hi everyone!

First and foremost, I hope that you are all doing well; staying safe and healthy during these times. There’s been so much unprecedented change in such little time, but know that we will all get through this together! I am very excited to be writing my first blog post as a student ambassador, and what better way to start off this new journey than to talk about how I got here at USC’s #1 ranked occupational therapy program!

So as you can assume through the title, I was actually introduced to occupational therapy pretty early on. During my senior year of high school, one of my courses required me to present on a potential career that I wanted to pursue. However, I was just a high school student, so what did I know? The thought of a career had never fully crossed my mind, plus I hadn’t even started college yet! I had the general idea of working in healthcare and helping people in some capacity, but I didn’t necessarily know the specifics.

Thankfully, a good friend of mine was aware that I was struggling and suggested that I look into occupational therapy. She thought that my personality would be a great fit and even introduced me to their cousin, who is actually a pediatric occupational therapist that completed USC Chan’s Entry-Level Master’s program. I was able to interview them and, during our conversation, I was captivated by their passion for the profession. Later on, I was able to volunteer at their outpatient pediatric clinic where I witnessed occupational therapists helping their clients live life to the fullest in such fun and creative ways. The innovation, holistic approach, and unique lens were all factors that resonated with my values and interests, and at that moment, I knew that OT was my calling.

Afterward, I went on to complete my undergraduate education, took a year off, traveled, worked, and I also volunteered in various occupational therapy settings, such as inpatient rehabilitation, outpatient pediatrics, and hand therapy. Then, I got into OT school, and the rest is history (of course, I’ll elaborate more about this in future blog posts, so stay tuned)! To this day, I am so grateful to that senior project and to my friend for introducing me to occupational therapy. Because of that one experience, I grew to understand the complexities and multifaceted layers of occupations and that my every day, taken-for-granted activities actually hold so much meaning. I am blessed to be at this tremendous program where my commitment to OT is consistently affirmed by faculty, staff, and my fellow colleagues.

I’ve learned beyond what I expected throughout my first year in the program, and I am so excited to continue learning more about the profession as I enter into my second year! There are many more stories I have to tell and I honestly can’t wait to share them with you all! Thanks for tuning into my first ever blog post and please feel free to reach out to the student ambassador’s email, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), if you have any questions or concerns; we are here to support you!

Fight On and Stay Well!

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