Student Blog
Community

Giving Thanks ⟩
November 21, 2016, by Kimmy

Community School/Life Balance

I love this time of year because it reminds people to reflect on everything to be thankful for, no matter how small a source of happiness may seem. Being part of a profession as rewarding as occupational therapy continuously inspires me to consider celebrating all of life’s joys. This year, USC has given me plenty of reasons to be thankful, including:

Graduation — I earned dual undergraduate degrees in occupational therapy and psychology. USC allowed me to double major, as well as pursue a minor, in my preferred areas of study.

Grad School — The Bachelor’s to Master’s program allowed me to transition seamlessly into graduate school during my undergraduate senior year, saving me time and tuition while pursuing my career.

Festival of Books — I always look forward to this weekend in April when my favorite college campus is taken over by my favorite occupation. In addition to basking in the endless supply of literary love, I was star struck when I walked right by astronaut Buzz Aldrin this past year!

Olympics — Watching the Olympics becomes even more exciting when the Trojan Family is represented — and the Trojans sure represented by bringing home 21 medals.

Football — The Trojan men have been fighting on to win seven consecutive games!

HSC — I moved to the Health Sciences Campus, making my commute extremely convenient and broadening my exposure to a new LA neighborhood.

Ambassadors — Serving as an ambassador has quickly proven to be a truly meaningful and enjoyable occupation. From helping others learn about OT to growing closer with my co-workers, I have loved every moment.

OTD — I will be pursuing the Doctorate of Occupational Therapy next year, which gives me advanced clinical education to become the best therapist I can be and an excuse to stay at USC for one more year!

I hope you also take the time to consider everything that has made you smile this year. Happy holidays, everyone!

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Resources for USC students ⟩
November 18, 2016, by Erwin

Community Getting Involved Living in LA School/Life Balance

Being a Trojan has its perks. In addition to getting a top-notch degree in occupational therapy, USC also offers students unique opportunities to make their time here truly one-of-a-kind.

Some of the amazing things that USC has to offer include athletic special events, concerts, theatre, distinguished speakers, and jazz series. Personally, I try to take advantage of all of these opportunities — especially USC football.

USC also provides opportunities to get involved through community outreach, cultural committees, and leadership. Specifically in the division, students can get involved in various programs. Many students that live in the OT House are involved in Engage, a program that works with at-risk adolescents by giving them an opportunity to participate in diverse activities. Other division organizations include the Latino Occupational Therapy Association, Occupational Therapy and Science Council, and Student-Run Clinic.

Here’s me with the other members of the Occupational Therapy and Science Council!

USC is also invested in your wellness, which is awesome because that is what occupational therapy is all about! USC students have access to both the Lyon Center and Soto gyms, recreational sports, the Eric Cohen Student Health Center, and of course, USC Occupational Therapy’s own Lifestyle Redesign®.

Lastly, being a student at USC also means you have all of beautiful Southern California to your disposal. Los Angeles has a lot to offer: museums, concerts, sports, and did I mention the food?!?! My classmates and I have bonded so much in the past year and we’ve been able to go to places unique to Southern California. Not many OT students get to say they visit Disneyland, go to Lakers and Dodger games, beach trips, and explore LA on their free time.

Here at USC, there’s always an opportunity to do the things that you find meaningful!

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Visit to El Sereno Middle School! ⟩
November 17, 2016, by Alyssa

Community What are OS/OT?

A few weeks ago, Dr. Jesús Díaz and I made a visit to El Sereno Middle School! We spent our day in Mrs. Elizabeth Buck’s science classroom. During out visit, we had the chance to meet her 7th and 8th students and talk to them about the field of occupational therapy and teach them things, such as where OTs work and who we treat. In addition, we were also able to share the value we see in pursuing college through our own college experiences here at USC! Mrs. Buck’s students were a pleasure to meet and we especially admired their respect and interest in our presentations. Specifically, we were very impressed on how well they were able to define occupational therapy after our group discussion. We appreciate the thanks and feedback they sent us and I would like to share some of these with you!

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Thanksgiving Potluck 2016 ⟩
November 14, 2016, by Raisa

Community International Living in LA

Can you believe that we only have about two more months to go before 2016 ends?! That also means that the fall semester ends in around 5 weeks! Yikes!

So November is here! Time to enjoy the cooling weather and fun fall activities. One notable fall event that should not be missed is Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a traditional American holiday that is usually celebrated on the fourth thursday of November. However, thanksgiving came early for us this year. The MA-1 students were able to celebrate together on the beach, in true California fashion, all thanks to the efforts of Global Initiatives and Dr. Erna Blanche. The day was filled with fun, sand, waves and lots of food. Traditionally Thanksgiving would be celebrated with a whole oven roasted turkey, but we decided to take a trip around the world. Since it was a potluck, the class each shared a dish from their country. We had dishes from India, Taiwan, Philippines, Korea, Scotland, Italy and America, our bellies were stuffed! After the festivities, and a nice game of charades we headed out to the beach to watch the sunset. Needless to say it was beautiful. The sound of the waves crashing, the colors of the sun setting and the changing sky were magical. It was truly a beautiful end to such a lovely day.

On behalf of the MA-1 class I would like to extend our gratitude to Global Initiatives and Dr. Erna Blanche for hosting and coordinating this thanksgiving potluck for the class. It was a lovely day, and great way to get to know everyone through their food as well as culture.

Here are some pictures from our trip (all photos used with permission from owners, Arielle Villanueva and Kathryna Gomez).

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Capturing Memories ⟩
November 4, 2016, by Alyssa

Community Videos

As an occupational therapy student, life is surely eventful! I find that my days are always spent socializing with others, whether it’s in the classroom with my professors, grabbing a coffee with my OT friends, working in the office with the student ambassadors, or eating dinner with my family. One of my favorite occupations, in addition to spending time with others, is to capture fun memories by taking photos! I take photos because I like to smile and share these memories with others. Here is a video of some of my memories that have been captured thus far this fall semester! Fight on!

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