Student Blog
Getting Involved

Comic Relief ⟩
April 11, 2013, by Alisa

Community Getting Involved Living in LA

Last night I went to a comedy show on the other side of town, UCLA. I really don’t have anything against UCLA, except that they rejected me for undergrad, which made me found something better — OT at USC. UCLA unfortunately doesn’t have an OT school. Anyway, my friend invited me to see the comedy show, Kristina Wong: Going Green the Wong Way. She has done numerous tours throughout the US and Europe. She chronicled her efforts for a greener, more sustainable lifestyle since middle school until now. She recalled her experiences campaigning with CALPIRG, driving a twenty-five year old Mercedes that completely ran on vegetable oil, and learning wisdom on public transportation. I don’t want to reveal too much, but it’s great to see how the efforts of one woman to save the world could be inspirational yet hilarious. After the show, we were invited to have dinner with Kristina and the crew. While deciding on where to eat, the car that Kristina’s props were in did not start up. We tried to jump it with 2 cars, but to no avail. We spent half an hour flagging down cars to help us on the UCLA campus, but none could. I understand it could be a liability issue, but still. While calling for help to come, a crew member and I went to do an In-N-Out run for everyone. Afterwards, we went to Kristina’s house to enjoy ourselves this meal. From this unexpected adventure, I gained six new friends. I was able to talk to them about occupational therapy, and we all departed with happy stomachs. It was a night to remember.

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Dos Mujeres Fuertes ⟩
April 8, 2013, by Ricky

Community Getting Involved

This weekend, I had the honor of volunteering at Mujeres Fuertes. As those of you who read her blog may already know, my co-ambassador/classmate, Kendra, has co-founded a community-based program for at-risk women. The program takes place every other week in Boyle Heights. I mentioned to Kendra, several times, that I lived right down the street from the place — I think I might have finally worn her down because she and her co-founder, Jane, invited me to help-out yesterday. 😊 Oh my goodness!!!!! Jane sent the volunteers an email this morning saying how she was “impressed, humbled, and very proud” of our participation. Well, I cannot tell you all how impressed, humbled, and super-very proud I am of these two young ladies! I didn’t know how powerful one hour every other week could be, but yesterday I met some women who have made some marked progress in their daily lives. Even during the session, these women were experiencing some profound personal growth, and being drawn to tears. These girls have brought some real value to this community. I was floored by their level of professionalism, in how well prepared and creative they were, and how therapeutic and receptive they were. It seemed like they had been running the program for several years. Again, so proud of you gals.  Keep it up!

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OT Month Kick-Off Celebration ⟩
April 4, 2013, by Alisa

Getting Involved

On Monday we had a kick-off party on the quad for Occupational Therapy Month. There were many students from various disciplines. This was great visibility for occupational therapy. We provided lunch, buttons, bookmarks, skits, et cetera. Happy OT Month! Fight on!

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USC Represents ⟩
March 1, 2013, by Kendra

Getting Involved

A HUGE congratulations to the 2 newest members of AOTA Assembly of Student Delegates!!

From a National Election, 2 USC Students have been elected:

Chairperson: Susan Linglebach
Communications & Advocacy Chairperson: Sean Sullivan

Go Trojans & Go USC OT!

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Color Run ⟩
February 10, 2013, by Paula

Getting Involved

This past weekend, The Color Run came to Dodger Stadium! There was a large group of OT color runners and a group of my friends from college also came down for the event so it was a great mix of people. I was a bit skeptical at first of how much I would enjoy running a 5k with people intermittently dousing me with colored cornstarch, but it was a lot of fun!

Being raised up as a little water baby and playing competitive water sports for 15 years of my life, I am normally the last person to suggest signing up for any sort of set length of running. Many people have told me that they hear swimmers have a certain incoordination when it comes to moving their body through space in “normal” popular sports such as soccer, basketball, etc. There is a certain amount of truth to that — I happen to be a prime example. If you ever see me on a skateboard or trying to master a hurdle (which you will never see), then you will understand.

Regardless, the run was a lot of fun and constant entertainment with all of the people being doused with colored powder throughout. It made me really excited to pursue more runs in the future. I am thinking of doing a Tough Mudder or a Warrior Dash next. Always important to try new things, right??

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