Student Blog
School/Life Balance

Thanksgiving is OVER . . . Back to the Grind! ⟩
December 2, 2013, by Kate

Classes School/Life Balance

Wow! Thanksgiving break was fabulous! It was very much needed! As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I headed to Colorado for a ski weekend with my parents. It was glorious!! The mountain recently opened for the season, so only a few runs were open on the front side of the mountain. The snow was a little crusty and icy, but it was great to get out and be active in nature. The beauty of Mother Nature and the crisp air rejuvenated me. Getting some physical exercise in, even at 10,000 feet, was great. And skiing with my dad is one occupation that we have enjoyed together since I was 2 years-old (27 years of being ski buddies!). We also enjoyed cooking together and had a great Thanksgiving dinner, complete with pumpkin pie made from a REAL pumpkin! All in all, a great vacation, filled with fun, food and a little bit of studying.

That’s right, I wrote “studying.” It’s easy to forget that you have things due this week when you’re having fun. But alas, it’s the nature of the grad-school beast. First up, a test today in our Health and Wellness course! I really enjoy this class, so I am not too worried because I am interested in the material. This Friday is our last day of classes. We have our poster presentations in our class on Occupation-Centered Programs for the Community. We have been working all semester on identifying a population in need of program development, performing a needs assessment, and creating a program that would is unique and fulfills the needs of the community. We also have a final paper due on Friday in our Health and Wellness class that includes research, a case study on one health and wellness variable, and an intervention plan. Sounds like a whole lot!!! And it is. But then I remember that this is the last week of classes and finals start next week!

Thankfully, I feel refreshed and rejuvenated from my mini-vacation and I am ready to get back to the grind and conquer all that I have due this week! Bring it on!!

Here’s a picture of my dad and I getting ready to hit the slopes! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

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MOvember, Thanksgiving and a White Christmas ⟩
November 26, 2013, by Rob

Community School/Life Balance

Holiday cheer filled the office today, as I entered to Christmas music playing from the office computer courtesy of fellow ambassador Ryan. Kim was out of the office for a meeting, so we felt completely free to carol to our hearts content. Growing up with White Christmas as a winter staple and maturing into a deep voice, I’m a big Bing Crosby fan. His songs are some of the few I can belt out without embarrassing myself.

This is a time for holidays. Thanksgiving is coming up and I am feeling very grateful for all the special people in my life. Even though I won’t be able to make it back to Chicago until our winter break, it’s going to be a time to spend with friends here on the West Coast. I’ll enjoy the few days off from school and lots of delicious food.

November is also MOvember. It’s a chance to grow wild mustaches to promote awareness of men’s health issues such as prostate or testicular cancer and mental health. As someone who has seen the impact of these challenges, I feel like we have a responsibility to share our experiences and bring awareness to these issues. Things like urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction, cancer and mental health issues are often hidden conditions that can cause men considerable anxiety as they try to live with these challenges. Being supportive, non-judgmental and conscious of language can make a difference.

I grow my mustache to encourage support and understanding, not only during the holidays, but for the rest of the year too. And thank you to Ryan, my MOSista, for her contribution to this month, as you can see below!

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So excited for Thanksgiving! ⟩
November 26, 2013, by Ryan

Fieldwork School/Life Balance

Holy Moly, am I ready for a break! This has been such a great semester and I can’t believe that I only have one more semester here at school, but I am definitely ready for a couple days off to stuff myself with family and turkey! Last week was my last day at my Level 1 Fieldwork site. I was really sad, and surprised how sad I was. At first, I was excited to have Wednesdays off for the last couple weeks of school. I brought in “thank you” gifts for all the staff and was very happy with what I came up with. During my time at the clinic, they moved locations and had a small display of plants that I wanted to add to so I brought them a beautiful orchid (that matched the color scheme of the other plants), I thought that was a nice touch. There was a day that we shared what socks we all were wearing under our scrubs and they all had crazy colored socks . . . soooo, I found some crazy socks at Macy’s (3 in a pack, with 3 therapists in the office . . . perfect!). Then on another day, a patient had found an amazing recipe for brownies in a magazine so I made a couple of copies for people in the office. Of course, I had to make the brownies . . . and they were amazing!!! I realized that I had put in so much time and wanted to give such thoughtful gifts for the therapists because I liked the clinic so much. I thought the therapists were very nice, fun, and relaxed especially during stressful moments in the clinic. They also did a great job at challenging me with questions and little projects throughout my time there to make my experience educational as well. The patients that came into the clinic during my fieldwork were great, too! I saw a lot of interesting injuries and impairments. I met many people who enjoyed sharing their stories as well as hearing about my own, and most importantly . . . what is occupational therapy. Man, in a hand clinic a lot of people came in thinking they were getting physical therapy! I was quick to tell them that was not the case. I think the therapists on site gained some new ways to explain OT in a short and concise way, too. Well, I had a great last day and I think I have made great contacts for when I start to practice. So now I am ready to finish the semester after the thanksgiving break and complete my 3 exams, 2 presentations, and 2 papers in the next 2 weeks!!! Eeeekkk! Well, I am thankful for my amazing family and friends that constantly lift me up and for finding the greatest profession in the world at the most supportive and inspiring school! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

P.S. Just wanted to share that I am listening to Christmas music in the office as I wrote this. 😊

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Thanksgiving Break: 14 Days to Go! ⟩
November 12, 2013, by Kate

School/Life Balance

I am SUPER excited for our 3-day break over the Thanksgiving holiday. It will be so nice to spend time with my family in Colorado, ski on some fresh powder, and enjoy some pumpkin pie (and mashed potatoes, turkey, green bean casserole, etc., etc., etc.). It will also be nice to have a break from school. It’s been an intense semester and I honestly cannot WAIT to wake up to no alarm clock!!

My family and I plan different activities for Thanksgiving each year. Last year, my parents drove down to Los Angeles from Seattle, Washington with our family dog, and we cooked a big dinner for 5 of my closest friends. It was so neat to have everyone in my home away from home and to act like an actual grown up with a big feast! This year, my parents are driving from Seattle to Colorado. I will fly out after my last class the Tuesday before and meet them there. We are going up to Keystone Resort, a nice little ski town about 90-minutes away from Denver. We will ski and drink hot cocoa and be merry. Of course, there might be SOME homework that I will have to conquer, but I’m most looking forward to spending time with the people I love.

Here’s a picture of Keystone at night! It is so beautiful; they even have night skiing for those people who can’t get enough during the daylight hours!

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USC Division of OS/OT Rocks! ⟩
October 21, 2013, by Ryan

Getting Involved School/Life Balance

Let’s see, today I want to talk about how much I love having such supportive faculty and staff here at USC Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. I have been feeling very overwhelmed this semester, of course, because there is a lot I have to learn in order to be such a fantastic OT but I have also taken on more activities this semester. One, that I am a Student Ambassador, which includes 10 hours a week of assisting the Admissions team by pumping up prospective students during the stressful time of either choosing a career in occupational therapy and/or choosing the number one school in the country for OT (USC, of course).

I am also working in a non-profit group called Active Minds and helping start a chapter at USC to educate students about mental illness issues as well as promote mental well-being throughout our lives. The first month of school I thought I could handle the stress of the my course workload on my own because I did it last year, but eventually I decided one day after class to talk to my professor about how much trouble I was having completing all the assignments on time. She made me feel so much better by giving me suggestions on ways to catch up and suggested meeting the following week to see if I need any more help.

In addition, I have decided to take advantage of the OT Faculty Practice on campus and receive free (because of the student health insurance) OT services to help me manage all the extra work I have been trying to do this semester. My occupational therapist is great! The first session seemed so simple and then I realized amazingly she had switched it around so that I was doing the work without even realizing it. So good, right?! This has caused me to slowly start taking on ways to look at my schedule and organize it in a more efficient and meaningful way. And she has done this in such a collaborative way that makes me feel so empowered, that I could eventually do on my own. I love Occupational Therapy! These are just two more experiences that have given me more insight into other facets of occupational therapy and will be a great addition for when I finally become a practitioner myself.

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