Student Blog
Ryan

OMG!!! ⟩
May 13, 2014, by Ryan

Community

I cannot believe this is my last blog, the last time I will work in the office, the last time I will be an OT graduate student here at USC. I dreamed about this moment for a long time so it feels very surreal. I have to say, it has all been worth it. Being a student ambassador, I have been reminded of what it was like to apply and be stressed about where to go, the cost, etc. Deciding to go to USC was one of the best decisions I have made in my life. I have had such a great class to be inspired and loved by. I have made the most wonderful and supportive life-long friends. I adore the faculty and am so impressed by them every class, each semester. I feel that I am a completely different person coming out of this program than when I entered. I will miss these hallways and saying hello to everyone I see. I am going to miss the routine of having lunch on the patio chatting with my friends. I am going to miss that feeling of growing and inspiration throughout my classes. I am so grateful for this opportunity and for anyone who is applying or about to enter the program, you are in for an amazing and wonderful ride!

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Black College Expo ⟩
February 24, 2014, by Ryan

Admissions Diversity Getting Involved

This weekend I was worked at a table representing USC Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at the Black College Expo in Downtown Los Angeles’ Convention Center. It was a great event for anyone who is interested in going to college. They had tons of colleges there as well as seminars for parents, such as how to apply for financial aid. I was amazed at how many people were there. I just wished that I had this when I was thinking about college because it is such an overwhelming process. I was happy to tell them about my experience at USC, but also about the amazing field of Occupational Therapy . . . because, of course, a lot of people didn’t know what it was. I didn’t know what OT was until after I graduated from my undergraduate program. I was so glad to be a part of this and inspire prospective students!

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Enjoying my peeps!!! ⟩
February 6, 2014, by Ryan

Beginnings and Endings Community School/Life Balance

I am starting to realize that these will be my last moments with my classmates that I love so dearly . . . so I have been taking advantage and spending some quality time with my peeps! I feel so lucky that I am going to be an OT soon, that I got into USC (which has inspired me to everyday), and to have been in the program with the most amazing people! I have made great friends and am so proud of the amazing OTs my classmates will become. I will miss them so terrible when we graduate.

Went golfing with some peeps, yesterday . . .

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I love Kate Holford!!! ⟩
January 30, 2014, by Ryan

Community

Well, we are on our third week of classes and I feel like I have adjusted to school now. Getting into the groove with lots of reading, projects forming, etc. So I would like to take some time to talk about my love for my fellow ambassador Kate Holford. I, of course, appreciate my whole ambassador team. Everyone is so wonderfully unique which makes us a great team! But for Kate Holford, we have worked together majority of the time last semester and we were in the same cohort as well (meaning we shared a lot of our core classes together). We have been through a lot together and have become so close while adventuring into the new position of Student Ambassador as well as coming to the end of our program. We helped create an Instagram account for the division and have participated in adding photos each week, check it out if you haven’t already!!! It gives you a peek of what we do day-to-day. This all is in addition to the occasional girl talk and dancing in the office. Thank you Kate for always listening, giving me such great advice and being so supportive! I love you!

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One Week Down, 17 More To Go ⟩
January 23, 2014, by Ryan

Fieldwork

Well, I have finished my first week of my last semester of school! (I am probably going to use that phrase a lot because it sounds so great . . . “my last semester!”) I am very excited about my classes. I have loved how our schedules have been set up for us so far this past year and a half, but it is really nice to be in classes that I have chosen. There is a different excitement about each class. Yesterday, I had my first clinical observation at Keck Medical Center for my Acute Care course I am taking. I was a little nervous at first because I haven’t spent a lot of time in hospitals, but that is why I signed up for this course! Last semester, I completed my Level I Fieldwork for Adult Rehab in a hand clinic so I wasn’t able to see a big variety of diagnoses.

I really enjoyed my experience at Keck. The beginning of the morning was spent completing our orientation and filling out paper work. Then I was able to shadow Dr. Don Gordon who is a practicing therapist at Keck and has been a guest lecture for two of my classes since I’ve been in the program. He is very nice and an engaging speaker so I was happy to hang out with him yesterday as well as see him in action. It was great! I saw three patients with a variety of reasons for being in the hospital; one individual had recent spinal surgery, another person had gastrointestinal problems, and then I saw a man living with liver dysfunction and Hepatitis. Observing Dr. Gordon, I truly saw a client-centered approach with each patient we saw. He does a wonderful job sitting to talk and listen to his patients. Each person had their own difficulties that were causing them discomfort but I could see how they all appreciated the time we took to just talk and hear about who they were. The focus was not only on their physical impairments but also on the things or people in their lives before coming to the hospital or even before they were sick or had any pain. I left very uplifted and inspired! I love OT!!! (Another phrase I think I use a lot, but I mean it . . . I LOVE OT!!).

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