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From Worker to Student: A New Occupation ⟩
September 26, 2024, by Tanya

Beginnings and Endings Community International Life Hacks Living in LA School/Life Balance

It is week 3 of school and perhaps with the exploration of Occupational Science, it made me reflect about the current journey I’ve chosen to embark on; a new occupation. I am no longer a working adult but one who is back in school — an adult student. It has been approximately a month since I said goodbye to the familiar, the known and the expected. Things are no longer as familiar, and navigating through this change has not been the easiest, to say the least.

I have stepped into the unknown and the unfamiliar in the decision to pursue the Post-Professional Master’s degree here at USC Chan, and if I were to use the Person-Environment-Occupation (PEO) Model (Law et al., 1996) to frame my life, you could say that I am still learning to maximize the fit to attain the same occupational performance I had back home. There is not just a literal change, in the physical change in environment, but also a change in my social environment. Social supports that I could turn to immediately had a 15 hour time difference. Even though this is not the first time living alone in a foreign country, it does not get any easier. There are some days I still get teary looking at pictures or Instagram videos and wish I could teleport home to be part of a special event, to comfort a friend or just to get a physical hug from a loved one. Leisure activities which I could engage in frequently are harder to access as I do not drive, or are things that I could not bring over (e.g., my sewing machine).

Even the most simple things require unlearning and relearning — take the metric systems — I am still learning how to convert Fahrenheit to Celsius, Pounds to Kilograms and Miles to Kilometres. It does get better with practice and of course, consulting with Google Converter, especially when I am at the grocery store, has been such help to me. Exploring the transportation systems might be a little tricky, but I am thankful that I got the chance to explore with my course mates, who are becoming a different sort of support system.

Having a new occupation as a student comes with new expectations and responsibilities. I used to read journal articles that I received from my monthly BJOT subscription or when I was reading up on the evidence of interventions that I would like to use. However, being a student means reading and trying to synthesize the contents of the articles for each module that you take. Living alone also means that that are other things you need to manage and set aside time for, such as meal-prep, household chores, figuring out how the dryer works and grocery runs.

Though the Occupation and Environment has changed, one thing that remained constant is the Person (that’s me). The changes might seem overwhelming initially but your abilities that enabled you to navigate the challenges, difficulties and new seasons in your life in a place of familiarity and comfort do not change amidst the change in the environment. The routines that you have created for yourself back home can also be replicated here — it just takes a little time to figure and analyse what is better and suitable. I’ve resumed my curiosity in cooking and explored the different dishes and cooking hacks on social media. This has not only provided me with affordable and delicious meals, but it has been a nice and relaxing activity and a way for me to connect with my housemates.

Being a planner, I have plans to crochet and hit the gym with my house/course mate Kate — we will get to it soon! Being away makes you grow as an individual as you reflect and learn to see things from a different perspective — who knew that just having dinner and chatting by the pool with friends is something so enjoyable and refreshing, an activity that I hope will be part of my new routine. Change is hard but it can also be an experience that will shape, develop and make you a better OT as you view things from new and different perspectives. It is also important to be intentional, not just here, but with the people back home, technology in this case is truly a blessing. Being 8811 miles away does feel shorter with the texts and calls.

One thing I am thankful for are my course mates, they make home feel a little less far. My new social environment, but one I am thrilled to share the remaining year with as we learn, laugh and eat together.

Stay tuned if you are interested in finding out what my remaining year will be like as a new adult student — I personally know it will be an amazing one and one that I will proudly say that I have maximized the PEO fit at the end of it.

Reference
Law, M., Cooper, B., Strong, S., Stewart, D., Rigby, P., & Letts, L. (1996). The Person-Environment-Occupation Model: A transactive approach to occupational performance. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 63(1), 9–23. https://doi.org/10.1177/000841749606300103

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The Summer Olympics at USC Chan ⟩
August 2, 2024, by Global Initiatives Team

Community International

By Alyssa Dharmawan (E-OTD ’26)

In the world of sports, the Summer Olympics represents a culmination of athletic skill, global unity, and cultural celebrations. Athletes from around the world compete in a diverse range of sports and foster a sense of global community, with the pursuit of excellence and sportsmanship. On July 8th, 2024, Global Initiatives and the Occupational Therapy and Science Council (OTSC) hosted a Summer Olympics event, where students from USC Chan and international OT students from the Summer Occupational Therapy Immersion (SOTI) Program came together and played summer-themed games. Teams were randomized to mix SOTI and Chan students, in order to foster camaraderie among the two groups.

From July 1–31, the 2024 Summer Occupational Therapy Immersion program welcomed 66 OT students and practitioners from 22 different countries across 5 continents. During this 4 week summer program, participants learn about occupational therapy and occupational science in the United States through lectures, site visits, and small group discussions while building global connections and meaningful relationships.

Serving as the Co-Chair for OTSC and working in the Global Initiatives office inspired me to form a committee to create a fun summer event for the USC Chan students and SOTI participants. OTSC’s E-OTD Representative, Catherine Picard, shares how the inspiration of the Summer Olympics contributed to its success: “The inspiration for creating the Summer Olympics stemmed from a desire to foster connections and camaraderie among Chan students from different cohorts, and partnering with Global Initiatives made it a natural choice to include SOTI students, providing a unique opportunity for everyone to socialize and have fun together. Creating a sense of community is integral to USC Chan’s mission, and the Summer Olympics offered a platform for friendly competition, shared experiences, and lasting connections.”

At the beginning of the event, all participants were divided into 5 teams, with each group coming up with a team name, such as Champions, Moho Madness, Pikachu, 4 the Win!, and Gimme 5!. Soon afterwards, teams rotated to play a variety of games such as water balloon tosses, ring toss, dodgeball, corn hole, and volleyball rallies.

The games ensured that all members of different skill levels and abilities could participate and have an opportunity to engage with their team members. Wing Gi (Venus) Leung, a SOTI participant from Hong Kong, shares her experience: “The Summer Olympics [was] fun [to] play sports without competing too much. Being a person who [isn’t] really into sports, my teammates actively involved me.”

Out of all the games played at the Summer Olympics, volleyball was the most popular. Crispin Huang, a SOTI participant from Hong Kong shares: “[V]olleyball was my favorite game. It was fun to keep the volleyball in the air without letting it touch the ground, despite the sun constantly shining into our eyes. It was both thrilling and hilarious — each time the ball wobbled in the air, my heart raced as I kept shouting to my teammates, ‘Just hit it high so the others have time to react!’ I couldn’t help but laugh at the near-misses and the countless fumbles. It was, of course, a very inclusive game, as it required participation from all team members, no matter our experience in volleyball. In the end, we managed to keep the ball in the air for over 23 hits, which, in my opinion, is quite a milestone as it was the first time for the majority of us to touch a volleyball.”

After teams completed each game, everyone was treated with OTterPops and had an opportunity to socialize and engage in more games, until the final game of the Summer Olympics: Tug of War. During the last game of tug of war, teams went head-to-head tournament style to see who would be the last team standing. The winners of the final game of Tug of War were awarded team prizes!

It all came down to two teams: Champions and Gimme 5! The big question was which team would be crowned the winner of the Tug of War and take home the grand prizes? After an exhilarating match, Gimme 5! emerged as the winners, demonstrating amazing teamwork and strategy to come on top.

After a fun-filled afternoon of games and socializing under the bright sun, the participants reflected on their experience participating in the Summer Olympics and fostering connections:

“I love [that] this event lets us interact with USC students by playing games. I particularly love tug of war because it gives off a team building atmosphere. When we work together it is easier to get closer with each other. I was impressed by the variety of games such as volleyball and water balloon tosses. [Overall] I love the event a lot.”
— Caroline Chan, Macau

“[The Summer Olympics] was a really fun way to get to know USC OT students! They were all so energetic and lovely. Plus it was nice to see how good friends you all were with each other as well.”
— Nourah Alflayyeh, Saudi Arabia

“[The Summer Olympics] was a lot of fun, I got to meet a lot of new people not only from the SOTI program, but also people from different cohorts from USC Chan. It was a great time playing games and trying to come up with strategies to win. My team got to know each other fast and recognized each other’s strengths and used that to our advantage. Just the overall team work and coming together was awesome! I loved how we were just cheering and rooting for each other the entire event. We all got so close and even exchanged contact info at the end to keep in touch.”
— Miranda Marquez, E-OTD ’26

Serving as the Co-Chair for OTSC and working in Global Initiatives places me in a unique position to foster relationships within the USC Chan community and build global connections with the SOTI participants. I am so honored to have an opportunity to build a sense of community locally and internationally through a shared love of the game with this event. The Summer Olympics would have not been possible without the hardwork and dedication from the incredible team of students from Global Initiatives and OTSC’s executive board members as well as the support of Dr. Danny Park. A special thank you goes to Bea Gee, Anna Glenn, Annika Pham, Catherine Picard, Keni Tsuno, Xiaorong Wang and Jackie Villa.

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Too Fun To Go Back Home!!!! ⟩
March 4, 2024, by Global Initiatives Team

Community International

By Jenny Yi-Chen Lu, Una Yu-Chen Tsai, John Yuan-Zhen Zhang
Edited by Princesse De Rossignol, 2nd-year E-OTD Student, and Xiaorong Wang, 1st-year E-OTD Student

We are undergraduate OT students from Kaohsiung Medical University, Taiwan. We’re here at USC for a five week exchange program to get to know more about OT and observe how they treat their patients clinically in America. During these five weeks, besides joining the class, we also had such a great time hanging out with the students here and those from Korea.

During this one month, we had some lessons, such as, motor control, sensory integration, Lifestyle Redesign® and more. Among all the lessons, the most impressive thing for us is the way professors teach and the students interact. Specifically, during the motor control class, the professor invited the stroke patients as a demo. During the class, the professors showed students how to stretch the tight muscles. That is a totally new experience for us to learn. On the other hand, most of the students are so active in asking questions and doing group discussion in the classes. Compared to here, the way we have our classes in Taiwan is more lecture-based. Honestly, most of the things that happen here help us expand our vision.

We also did some site visits and learned many different approaches to make the clients feel better and achieve their well-being. Some examples are hippotherapy and animal assisted therapy in Children’s Ranch, and the PECK model in Kensington Sierra Madre. After these visits, we got to know how the therapist here actually treats their patient with “occupation-based” ways. We appreciate this special opportunity we have, because during this month, we have seen the difference between the US and what we do in Taiwan in clinical practice. We believe that we still have a lot of room for improvement in how we can provide service to our clients.

Beside attending classes and site visits, we also participate in lots of social events with USC students and the Korean visitors. We had so much fun at the welcome party, chatting with each other and having delicious food. Thanks to the Global Initiatives team, we had the chance to walk around in Old Town Pasadena. We visited the ice cream shop there, and looked at the American style shops, creating unforgettable memories together.

At the end of the visit, we had our goodbye party on the beach. It was really cool to set up a camping fire on the beach, and we also had our first ever s’mores in life. We enjoyed a cozy and relaxing atmosphere by the seashore and took lots of photos with friends before we part ways. It is the most amazing experience that we have ever had.

Overall, the exchange program has allowed us to expand our global vision about occupational therapy and experience so many great things, including new friendships and amazing views in California. We have learned the differences between what OTs do in their countries internationally and these make us start to think about how to improve the medical environment in Taiwan to be more “occupational”.

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California Love ⟩
January 24, 2024, by Jaida

Community Life Hacks Living in LA

California. The Golden State. Never would I have thought that I would be calling this place ‘home’ for 3 years. Filled with numerous beaches, palm trees, and sunshine for days, this state has more to offer than I realized. As someone who is not a local, I can recognize where my own understanding of this unique environment falls short of the experiences that make this place so special to Californians. I can also recognize where my own biases and upbringings as a Southerner have impacted my perception of the people here (I had no idea what an ‘Erewhon’ or ‘Cava’ was).

Here are some of my own takeaways about California that you should be mindful of and how you can take advantage of your new home!

Be mindful of:

• Traffic/Driving: “It’s only 5 miles away. The drive can’t be that bad.” That’s what I’m used to saying when driving around home in Arkansas. I was so quick to judge my friends here who would complain about driving (I am humble enough to say now I have learned the error of my ways; sorry friends). Driving in California is not for the weak; there will be days where you will spend more time on the road than at your actual destination. Californians have unspoken rules about driving that as an outsider, until you get yourself on the road, you won’t understand until you’ve experienced it. Tip: call a friend/loved one while you’re waiting in traffic! You know they’ve been dying to hear all about your life in the program and it’ll make you feel better. You can also listen to podcasts or take it as an opportunity to practice some of the mindfulness techniques you will soon learn from RRE class!
• Prices: I remember as I was driving from Arkansas to California, the progressive increase in gas prices as I got closer and closer, had me shaking my head the entire time. The days of cheap items and tax-free weekends were over. Since then, I have accepted my new reality of the high cost of living here, but understand now that California would not be what it is today without it. Tip: if you can, sign up for EBT to receive monetary assistance for buying groceries.

Take advantage of:

• Fun Experiences: My bank account hated me for the amount of money I was spending at Disneyland and Universal, but just like a kid in a candy store, I couldn’t help myself! Although I love all the nature activities there are to do back home, being able to go to amusement parks and beaches whenever I want is a plus in my eyes. Cool events like themed club nights (High School Musical and One Direction night made teenage Jaida so happy) and shows at the Hollywood Bowl are ones that I would’ve never experienced back home and I am grateful to be living in a state that gives me access to new and exciting experiences.
• New Cuisines: Being raised in the South, I pride myself on the delectable cuisine that is ‘Southern/Soul food’. Comprised of foods such as ribs, fried chicken, cornbread, baked beans, mac & cheese, I was a bit saddened to know the “southern food” here will never taste like how it is back home. However, I have been able to try so many different cuisines that are not as widely present in Arkansas (shoutout to cohort A for introducing me to Korean bbq, pho, and chilaquiles!).

While your experience may be completely different than mine, I hope that this advice can help you in preparing for your transition to living in California.

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Trojan Spirit ⟩
December 3, 2023, by Samantha

Community Getting Involved School/Life Balance Videos

Hello! My name is Samantha Osuna. I’m in my second year of the Entry-Level OTD program & fifth at USC as a student in the Accelerated Bachelor’s to Doctorate program. As my fifth football season as a Trojan was coming to an end, I spent some time reflecting on the beauty of college football & the Trojan spirit that makes USC football games unique & exhilarating. I realized that this Trojan spirit–which represents the resilience, determination, & indomitable will of USC students on the field & in the classroom–is something I’ve cultivated over the last four & a half years or so. I know that not everyone in the Chan Division has had the same access that I have had and that American football may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but I do believe that USC game day has something to offer everyone, from tailgating to watching the band. It is the ultimate representation of Trojan spirit & the perfect way to share about it with others through a vlog! The 2023 football season may be over, but it’s never too late to embrace the Trojan spirit &, as always, Fight On!

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