ANIMO!

November 16, 2012
by Ricky

Two weeks back, in my role as student ambassador, I presented at the 2012 ANIMO Latino Young Men’s Conference (by a not-for-profit called Family Success by Design). This program features a full day of mentorship, motivational speakers, and empowering activities . . . and it’s pretty OT-based! The founder has been an OT practitioner for over 30 years. The main themes are education, financial literacy, and health. This was such a refreshing experience, and it was an honor to interact with and provide mentorship for all the young men who attended. It was great to see how talented, intelligent, and resilient these guys are. I also loved the craft project at the end (prolly the OT in me, haha).

I collaborated with one of my instructors to create and deliver a presentation on OT. Our talk was part Intro-to-OT and part motivational discourse on going to college and pursuing your dreams. Going into the conference, I was a little confused about why we were pitching OT to kids as young as 12 years old, but now I can see the whole picture. Not only is it important for these guys to be exposed to “successful” Latino men, but they also need to know about promising options for their future. The thing is, these young men are ideal candidates to become OTs in Southern California. They are male, and males are severely underrepresented in the profession. They are minorities . . . again, underrepresented. And, most speak Spanish. It’s important to note that cultural competence (and there are few better ways to immerse yourself in a culture than to speak the language) is vital to developing a therapeutic relationship and administering effective client-centered intervention.

The whole experience got me thinking about my own OT journey. I wonder how I would’ve responded to a presentation like this when I was 12. I think at 12 I was too busy trying to act cool. Anyhow, it took me a while to be honest with myself and accept that my true strengths and passions make me an ideal candidate for OT. I always knew I liked helping others and loved working with kids. That stuff just came natural to me, but my environment never gave me any indication that pursing something like OT could ever be a viable option. It wasn’t until I found myself working long hours as an accountant and asking myself “why?” Why was I working so hard? Is the paycheck enough? That set off this whole soul-searching episode in which I discovered OT. I wrestled with it. I would ask myself what my family and others might think. Would people think I was less manly? Would/should I care? It was rough, but I couldn’t deny myself anymore. I started working at a pediatric therapy clinic, just to make sure, and I was sold. Being an accountant and pragmatist, the numbers added up too (do you know how much money OTs make?! Haha).

For any of you guys that may be interested in something like OT, but don’t think it’s a viable option, I encourage you just be honest with yourselves. Take a risk and volunteer for things like ANIMO — they need more mentors like you, even if you don’t pursue OT. Trust me, I know your heart yearns for experiences where you can just let go of insecurities and just be genuine, with others and yourself.

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