How Did I Get Here?

     When I was younger, my mom worked as a certified occupational therapy assistant (COTA) in the school system. She would always come home with a bag of what I thought to be toys that I was not allowed to play with because they were for work. I did not understand that what she did in schools was helping students to reach their fullest potential. From the time I started school up until eighth grade, I was convinced that I was going to be a teacher as I have always like to help and teach others. However, in high school I found a love for science and the medical field. I began to look into the world of biomedical engineering. It would be a place that I could integrate my love for solving problems and passion for helping people. I began to take health science classes and realized that I would rather work hands on with people. This led me to spend a semester shadowing in a physical therapist's clinic. While I liked the personal aspect of physical therapy, it lacked the creativity that I was seeking. I talked to my mom about it, and she suggested occupational therapy. After looking into the profession, I decided that it was something that I could see myself thriving in as a career, and I finally understood, to a degree, the purpose of my mom's "toys" and that they really had been used for work. 

    After shadowing in the field, I have seen the impact that helping people work towards independence in their occupations can have on their quality of life. It is my goal to have the same impact that I have seen other occupational therapists have on their clients.