Afternoon Tea with a Scholar

September 28, 2011
by Floyd

Getting Involved

What a wonderful Sunday spent with good people, delicious food, and thoughtful reflection on who we are and what are to become. During this afternoon, I got to nibble on a variety of delightful summer and spring salads and scrumptious little desserts, while sipping an assortment of lemonades and iced teas.

I got to hear about the advocacy opportunities that OTAC (Occupational Therapy Association of California) representatives and lobbyists had when they were at Capitol Hill in Sacramento. They spoke to many city and state officials like Senator Barbara Boxer about the implementation of bills and regulations that assure integrity of occupational therapy practice in California. This makes me proud to be an OTAC member because I know that they are doing their best to fight for my rights as an Occupational Therapist and protect my profession for the future.

The most inspiring of all was our keynote speaker, Dr. Florence Clark. She spoke to us about empowering ourselves by embracing the integrity that we developed through our lived experiences and to speak up for what we believe in, no matter what. She gave a personal example our how she was negatively depicted because of her unconventional but groundbreaking research (the USC Well Elderly Study) during the late ‘90s. She tells us that we must relinquish the conformity that society has portrayed us over the years and be active agents in our own learning and path as great practitioners. We are sleeping giants, and it’s time for us to wake up and be the change we want to see in the world.

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