Student Blog
Getting Involved

Bridging Cultures, Building Futures: Our PP-MA Journey ⟩
October 2, 2025, by Global Initiatives Team

Beginnings and Endings Classes Community Diversity Getting Involved Housing and Transportation International Living in LA School/Life Balance What are OS/OT?

Hi everyone! We’re Angel and Haemin, international students in the 2025-2026 Post-Professional Master’s (PP-MA) program at USC. Coming from the Philippines and South Korea, we are starting this new chapter in Los Angeles! We’re excited to meet new people, explore new places, and grow together as OTs.

Angel’s Journey

My name is Angel, a pure-blooded Filipina and current PP-MA student for 2025–2026. I earned my OT degree in the Philippines and worked as a pediatric occupational therapist for three years—a role that brought me so much joy working with children and their families. In 2023, I got married, and by 2024 I had moved to the U.S. to be with my husband, first living in Chicago before deciding to continue my OT journey here in LA.

When I began exploring further studies, USC stood out immediately. Its Post-Professional MA is one of the few programs in the U.S. that can be completed in just one year, allowing internationally trained OTs like me to deepen our skills, discover new ideas, and connect with people from around the world—all while returning to practice sooner. I also heard wonderful feedback from colleagues who studied here, describing supportive faculty, a vibrant community, and an environment that pushes you to grow. Most of all, I was inspired by USC Chan’s mission to optimize people’s engagement in the ordinary and extraordinary activities of life—a statement that perfectly reflects why I chose OT in the first place.

Life in Los Angeles has been a big adjustment after Chicago and the Philippines—new city, new culture, and no familiar faces. At first, it was daunting, but having my husband’s support made the transition easier. Together, we’re slowly building our rhythm, exploring neighborhoods, and enjoying small routines that make LA feel like home. Lately, we’ve started visiting local cafés for matcha and coffee, and Little Tokyo has quickly become a go-to spot for food and culture.

So far, the PP-MA program has been both exciting and humbling. One of my favorite courses is Foundations in Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, where we explore and challenge diverse perspectives on both OS and OT. Because our cohort includes students from many different countries, I have gained a deeper understanding of how culture and society influence a person’s occupations. I have also come to appreciate the importance of language in our work as occupational therapists when connecting with patients.

What I value most about this program is how it encourages us to think critically about OT while equipping us with practical tools to grow as clinicians and leaders. It’s not just about earning a degree—it’s about shaping how we want to contribute to the future of the profession.

Looking ahead, I see this year at USC as a stepping stone. My immediate goal is to gain licensure in the U.S. so I can continue serving people in healthcare. Beyond that, I hope to bridge what I learn here with my roots in the Philippines, finding ways to give back and strengthen OT globally.

Haemin’s Journey

My name is Haemin, and, like Angel, I’m a PP-MA student, class of 2026. I graduated from my home university in South Korea this year and moved to LA to attend USC Chan’s Master’s program. Being a PP-MA OT student at USC has been one of the most exciting chapters in my life. When I arrived in LA to start my journey, I had mixed feelings of both excitement and being overwhelmed. I moved into a new apartment, met new people and classmates, and tried to make a new daily routine. Even though there were a lot of things to take in on my own, I found myself becoming more independent and confident.

Back in 2022, I joined the Summer Occupational Therapy Immersion (SOTI) program as an exchange student. It was such a memorable time to interact with people from all over the world with warm and supportive instructors. I loved exploring various OT fields through guest lectures and field trips, and it made me want to reflect more on the kind of OT I’d like to become. These experiences inspired me to deepen and broaden my own view of occupational therapy and to find the areas of practice that truly align with my interests and passions. Finding that USC provides strong support and resources to help international students achieve these goals gave me the confidence to come here for my master’s program.

Even though I have experience of living in the US before, moving to LA for graduate school was still a new adventure. I set up a new apartment and established daily routines like meal prep, errands, and transportation to balance my work and studies. It took time to adapt to a new environment, but I was able to figure it out thanks to so much support from my family, friends, and professors at USC Chan. As I figure out step by step, I find myself having done so many things, which makes me feel confident and mature 😊

One of the best parts of the PP-MA program is having classmates from all over the world. We share our OT experiences and cultures from our home countries, which makes every discussion richer and exciting. The atmosphere is so friendly and supportive, and the Global Initiatives team always makes me and other international students feel welcomed and connected. Working as a GI team member, I’m supporting students who want to celebrate their meaningful holidays, which is especially valuable in that I can learn about important cultural meanings from my classmates.

As for classes, Foundations of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy has been my favorite! At first, OS felt a bit philosophical and abstract, but it helped me see what occupation truly means and what the OT’s role is from a global perspective. Having discussions with international classmates adds so much fun and depth 😊

Even though we may have grown up in different countries and started OT in different ways, the PP-MA program at USC has brought us together. We’re learning, growing, and cheering each other on as we chase our own unique dreams as future OTs.

Outside the classroom, I love spending time at Hoose Library, which has a Harry Potter vibe. It’s so aesthetic and makes me focus on studying better.

Preparing for what’s next, one of my biggest goals during this program is earning the Sensory Integration (SI) certificate, which will be valuable for working with children. After graduation, I hope to continue working in pediatrics, especially with children and adults with ASD, and to expand into community-based practice. I’m excited to face my future clients with a richer perspective on occupation by everything I learned and grew from my time at USC.

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Protect the OT Voice: An Interview with Dr. Samia Rafeedie ⟩
September 22, 2025, by Cara

Community Getting Involved

Some people you meet leave a positive, lasting impression. Dr. Samia Rafeedie is one of those people for me. Ask anyone at Chan and they’ll tell you that her superpower is empowering others. Not only is she a beloved professor and the director of our E-OTD program, but she also serves as the President of the Occupational Therapy Association of California (OTAC). Recently, she delivered an inspiring speech to the new E-OTD class about joining OTAC and the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). Afterward, I had the privilege of speaking with her 1-on-1, where she shared insights about OTAC’s work, why advocacy matters, and how to maximize the profession’s future both as students and practitioners.

Path to Leadership
Dr. Rafeedie has always carried a strong sense of responsibility and values giving back. In 2009, a colleague encouraged her to chair OTAC’s Education Committee. From there, she co-led the OTAC Conference Committee, revised the submission process for conference abstracts, served as the Political Action Committee Chair, and eventually was encouraged to run for President. Now, she oversees board meetings and committees, participates in California Board of Occupational Therapy (CBOT) meetings, and travels, often to Sacramento, to discuss with policymakers about bills affecting the profession. And, she does this all voluntarily.

About OTAC
In describing OTAC, Dr. Rafeedie said, “OTAC is the only entity that protects our profession in California.” Of OTAC’s 2,500 members, 1,500 are students. But OTAC provides opportunities to support both students and practitioners. First, the OTAC Education Alliance invites all 40 OT and OTA programs in California to join as institutional members, providing resources such as advocacy and leadership lectures and opportunities to meet ACOTE standards. “Our goal is to groom them [students] into becoming leaders,” Dr. Rafeedie said. Since Spring 2025, 7 programs have joined (4 have already paid, and 3 more have checks on the way!). Secondly, the OTAC Education Passport helps members earn continuing education for license renewal, providing a free monthly professional development unit (PDU) that can be applied toward their renewal credits. The success of these initiatives, Dr. Rafeedie said, is testament to the fact that her job cannot be done single-handedly, but is a team effort. A Board of Directors, five regional directors, committee chairs, and lobbyists all play an integral role in making OTAC’s work possible.

Advocacy = Career Insurance
Oftentimes, we assume that if we choose a career not directly related to politics, we avoid it. But politics is everywhere. And as Dr. Rafeedie noted, our profession is inherently political by virtue of being part of healthcare, whether we like it or not. Then, when asked why people should advocate for the profession by joining our national and state associations, her answer was straightforward: it’s like career insurance. Without it, Dr. Rafeedie said, decisions will be made for the profession, often not in our favor. Yet fewer than 4% of practitioners are members of OTAC, leaving much of the profession at risk of being undervalued with fewer opportunities to be effective agents of change.

Advocacy in Practice
Amidst her busy schedule, Dr. Rafeedie still clinically practices, drawing confidence from her involvement with OTAC to ensure OT’s worth is recognized and respected among other healthcare professions. “If you don’t get in there, no one will ever hear your perspective - the OT voice. And if we don’t speak, we lose an opportunity,” she said. She advocates for patients as she does for the profession, ensuring OT is inserted where it belongs and pushing back when necessary. Her voice extends to Chan, from teaching to leading the first annual OTAC ResearchSymposium. “I don’t just do my job, I am the job — I do feel like the President when I am advocating for my patients or for my profession.”

Advice for Students & Practitioners
Whether you’re a new student or practitioner, becoming a member and renewing your membership is the first step. But, Dr. Rafeedie encourages being as proactive as possible. Here are her suggestions:

• Attend OTAC conferences, symposiums, or special topic forums
• Join student organizations like OTSC, PTE, or COTAD
• Talk to professors
• Take the lead on group projects
• Present at conferences
• Volunteer on committees
• Stay informed about efforts by the state and national associations
• Encourage colleagues to join OTAC and AOTA

Going forward, Dr. Rafeedie envisions OTAC will “move away from focusing on the trees so that we can get into the forest.” In other words, she hopes to expand partnerships with larger organizations that can help increase subscriptions to OTAC’s programs from OT and OTA schools throughout the state. She also seeks to enrich the Education Passport by offering continuing education courses that practitioners need for license renewal, and collaborate with healthcare entities, including Cedar-Sinai, Rancho Los Amigos and Kaiser.

The last thing Dr. Rafeedie wanted to share was a quote from Maya Angelou: “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” She stressed the importance of advocating for yourself rather than complaining, reminding us that being uninvolved only leaves problems unresolved and, as she put it, gets us “chewed up and spit out.” To put it simply, her advice is to be bold and courageous. “Challenge the status quo, take chances, and don’t be so apathetic about the profession.”

While it may seem counterintuitive to advocate for ourselves in a profession centered on compassion for others, it is equally important. Without having compassion (and advocacy) for ourselves, the less we have to give to our patients.

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Looking to get involved? Check out one of my favorite clubs at USC ⟩
February 9, 2025, by Avery

Community Getting Involved

When arriving at USC (as an undergraduate or graduate student), getting involved in student organizations can feel daunting and overwhelming. There are 100s to choose from — and attending meetings can feel intimidating or stressful to balance with the demands of a large school workload.

So . . . let me make it easy for you! If you are passionate about working with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (as many OTs are), one of my favorite student organizations that I am a part of is the USC chapter of Best Buddies Club.

Best Buddies is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to creating opportunities for friendship, leadership development, and inclusion for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). It operates through programs in schools, workplaces, and communities, fostering one-to-one friendships, job placements, and leadership training to promote social inclusion. It is very common in high schools across the country, but USC is lucky enough to have our own chapter!

Essentially, there are meetings every other week in which USC students socialize with adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities from Los Angeles for an hour. In the past we have done fun activities such as gingerbread house making, gone to basketball games, crafts, baked, and played board games.

Last year we went to the Los Angeles Best Buddies friendship walk, where Best Buddies chapters come together from across the state to broaden friendships and to raise money for the Best Buddies organization. This event happens every April and was a highlight of my year.

Some pictures from last year’s friendship walk (click to enlarge)!

I absolutely love this club and recommend it for so many reasons.

Best Buddies is filled with occupational therapy students — both graduate and undergraduate — creating a vibrant, supportive community of future OTs, professionals in related fields, and genuinely kind, uplifting people. For anyone interested in careers in healthcare, education, occupational therapy, or social work, this club offers invaluable, hands-on experience working directly with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Beyond that, it’s an amazing opportunity to connect with passionate advocates and like-minded students who share the same dedication to inclusion and making a difference.

Best Buddies truly creates lasting friendships, and I find that everyone in the room is smiling for the full hour. I often text back and forth with my buddy in the time between meetings. By promoting inclusion and acceptance, this club directly contributes to creating a more inclusive community. You can truly see the difference you’re making in someone’s life — and they make a difference in yours!

Additionally, being a buddy is a relatively low commitment. One hour every two weeks is super easy to fit into my schedule as a busy student. Plus, joining is super easy — you just show up! When you arrive you get put on the members list, and you can then choose to have a one-on-one buddy pairing.

Check USC Best Buddies out on Instagram to learn more info and stay up to date on upcoming events.

If you have any questions at all, do not hesitate to reach out to me! We are always accepting new members, and would love to see your face at the next meeting!

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Learning and Traveling ⟩
February 6, 2025, by Kimberly Rochin

Getting Involved International

When I reflect on the standout moments from my time as an undergraduate, my two Maymester adventures immediately spring to mind. From soaking in breathtaking scenery to meeting some truly remarkable people, these journeys offered me a front-row seat to the diverse ways societies function and approach healthcare far beyond U.S. borders.

Exploring Argentina
During the summer of 2023, I enrolled in a Spanish course focusing on the immigration, history, and culture of Argentina. While exploring these themes, I was particularly struck by the local social dynamics. Buenos Aires is teeming with “third spaces” — museums, art galleries, and community centers that serve as social hubs. To my surprise, many of these spaces were free or had minimal cost for public entry.

As a tourist, I loved exploring these gems as they were a perfect fusion of how work and leisure intertwine. Another shocking factor was observing how shops and businesses often pause in the afternoon, allowing everyone to enjoy ‘merienda,’ a tea-time break shared with family and friends.

Learning About Preventative Healthcare in Costa Rica
My journey continued this past summer in Nicoya, Costa Rica, where I participated in a Gerontology course examining the country’s famed “blue zones” — regions where people live significantly longer than the global average. Although I was not a fan of the mosquitoes and the occasional snake spotting in our hotel rooms, this experience helped me understand the power of preventative healthcare measures and a collectivist approach to well-being.

In Costa Rica, the vibe is all about community and preventative health, a refreshing change from the more reactive healthcare models I’d seen in the U.S. It’s like they’re all about dodging the raindrops instead of waiting to get wet! This eye-opening experience really drove home the importance of weaving health-conscious choices into the fabric of everyday life. It’s a philosophy that meshes perfectly with the holistic spirit of occupational therapy.

So, what’s next?

Well, of course, I want to keep traveling! I mean, who doesn’t? As I continue my journey in occupational therapy, I am inspired to keep traveling and connecting the dots between cultural practices and health outcomes. Each trip offers new perspectives and strategies that can be adapted to enhance the therapeutic environments we create. By incorporating global insights into my studies and future practice, I aim to advocate for more integrative and culturally aware approaches to healthcare.

A piece of advice: if your undergraduate program offers a study abroad experience, even as short as a couple of weeks like mine, take advantage of them! It’s an invaluable opportunity to broaden your horizons and gain insights that you can’t get from a textbook.

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What I Learned in a Week as a Medical Volunteer in Panama ⟩
December 13, 2024, by Guest Author

Classes Community Diversity Getting Involved International

By Carly Martinez OTR/L, USC Chan Post-Professional OTD student

When you read the name of the country Panama, what comes to mind? If you’re anything like me until about a month ago, your knowledge consists solely of the famed Panama Canal. After spending 8 days there as a medical volunteer, I won’t pretend to be an expert, but I can give you a brief glimpse into my journey. 

During the first semester of my post-professional OTD, I decided I would take what I thought would be my final elective, MEDS 577, Global Palliative Care with Dr. Ben LaBrot. It felt significant for me as a practitioner because I had learned a little bit about hospice and palliative care through my master’s program at USC, and knew that occupational therapy (OT) had a role to play in that area. At the same time, it still felt like we had only skimmed the surface. Through that course, I learned a lot about autonomy and dignity, values my professional OT education had espoused, however, this was a deeper dive into this particular context.

A few weeks into the course, Dr. LaBrot shared that he would have to record class since he would be in Panama. After class the following week, some students stayed after class to ask the professor about another course he taught. While unintentionally eavesdropping, I learned that he was the founder of a medical volunteering organization, Floating Doctors, based out of Panama. Excited at the possibility of going abroad again as part of my OT education, I asked if his program accepted occupational therapists. He was enthusiastic about my participation and clearly an ally of occupational therapy through what he shared in the curriculum. It would count as my final elective, and I could get credit for volunteering through MEDS 554.

Months later, I would find myself in a rainforest, translating for a classmate who graduated from medical school in Indonesia, learning how best to explain things to individuals who grew up in a completely different context than myself. Floating Doctors works with the members of the Ngäbe, an indigenous population in the Bocas Del Toro province of Panama. This region is designated as part of the Ngäbe-Buglé comarca, an officially recognized province that is part of how the nation is divided, similar to statehood, which allows for self-governance among the indigenous population. To get there, I flew from LAX to Panama City, then travelled to a second, smaller airport in Panama City to fly to Bocas del Toro, an island in the northern archipelago region of the country.

During clinic, we slept outdoors in the rancho where we provided services in hammocks strung from metal beams and bathed in the river, as do the community members. However, I will say that it was not the most rugged camping experience of my life. We had indoor plumbing, could purchase wifi from a nearby home, and had meals cooked for us by local women. Patients brought goods to sell, like the best chicken empanadas I’ve ever tasted, sizable chicken tamales wrapped in banana leaves, and artisanal breads. Some families told me they walked for a day through the mountainous terrain to be seen by the doctors. Did I mention that the weather hovered around 90 degrees and 100% humidity? The patients came well-dressed, with women in nice dresses and men in polos and jeans. I got the feeling they were dressed up to see us, but also because they would be seen by many other people who were also attending the clinic.

Visitors to the clinic generally fall into two categories: fast lane or chronic. Fast lane is for new or relatively simple cases, such as needing paracetamol to manage fever, albendazole for concerns about parasites, or birth control injections. Chronic patients are seen every three months, as the team returns to each site regularly, cycling through the 28 sites they service. Though the providers change, there is still consistent care for diabetes, hypertension, and asthma, to name a few of the more common conditions. Patients can have their names put on a list for a doctor who comes by to perform cataract surgery as part of another program. Referrals can also be given in cases where a patient requires more or specialist care, such as the case of a 6-year-old girl who seemed to be struggling in school, based on her mother’s description. Though I did an informal writing assessment, she would need more testing to determine if she was reaching developmental milestones, something the organization is not equipped to offer at this time.

To be seen by specialist medical providers, they would need to go to a major town nearby. Although this community had a medical clinic nearby, the resources there were limited. Travel to David, a town with more medical resources, would require a bus ticket and potentially a stay in the city, a prohibitively expensive expenditure for some of the patients. Boquete is closer, though it is not as well-resourced and still requires a bus ticket to get through the mountains on rocky dirt roads, which do not have lights, limiting travel for safety reasons.

This trip felt challenging to my professional identity. As a new practitioner, I worry about the role OT can play in different contexts. The lead medical provider for the week was not familiar with OT, or Ergotherapy as it is often referred to in Europe. He told me that this does not exist in his home country of Russia. The World Federation of OT only credentialed the University of Panama’s OT program last year, in 2023. I wondered about the relevance of the profession to people whose activities of daily living (ADLs) likely consist of more life-sustaining occupations than mine do, such as gathering water or washing clothes by smacking them against rocks in the river, in addition to household management tasks like washing dishes and cleaning the house.

I could see the applications of OT for those who worked cutting bananas, as they suffer from repetitive motion injuries, for children in school, and likely, for individuals with mental health concerns, if I were to speculate. However, I also acknowledge that I don’t really know much about their everyday lives because I didn’t have the opportunity to get to know them in the ways that would be necessary for an OT evaluation. I longed to know more about what an average day is like, as this would allow me to begin imagining what role occupational science (OS) could play in trying to understand what life is like for the Ngäbe. If OS has taught me anything, it is that I am not an expert on the culture of the Ngäbe. In order to work with a population in a way that garners buy-in, one has to try to understand the values to support what is important to their patients.

All of this is not to paint a picture of an area with fewer resources; after all, there are rural areas of the US with limited access to hospitals or routine medical care. Instead, I hope that Panama provides opportunities for OT and OS to continue to develop in multiple contexts, ranging from the traditional academic experiences OT graduates may have in the larger metropolitan areas, to the volunteer OT services with Floating Doctors, as well as others yet to come.

For my final occupational therapy doctorate (OTD) project, I created a set of OT practice guidelines or a white paper, in support of the development of OT services for Floating Doctors. The hope is that this will allow for the expansion of OT services within the organization, encouraging more OT volunteers to attend, and familiarize the individual medical providers with the scope and potential interventions OT can provide. It will also be part of the information Floating Doctors provides the Panamanian government to continue its services there.

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