OTSC MA-II Elections Fall 2018
Chair
Kelly Chang
As the daughter of two high-school educated, working-class, loving parents, I have held one or two part-time jobs while balancing school since I was 15 years old. The last of these years were spent working at a specialty coffee shop in Little Tokyo. During these three years, I formed new friendships, poured some sick latte art, and met a boss who taught me a lot of the work (and life) ethic that I abide by today. As the CEO, he showed up after closing hours to mop the store for us, showing me that a good leader doesn’t shy away from the dirtiest work. He took time to listen to the stories of the old grandpa who habituated the morning streets with his dog, the security guard working late into the night, and every single one of the us part-time employees, teaching me to attribute dignity to everyone by simply having a listening ear. He prioritized mastering each level of the coffee and hospitality process in order to ensure that every customer walked out with a smiling face, showing me intentionality in the little details. As Council Chair of OTSC, I hope that these qualities that I picked up over the years will glean over into this position. I hope to be a leader who is the first one to stand up and volunteer to scrub the (hopefully metaphorical) toilets of USC. I’ve heard that work is love made visible. I hope to be a leader who does good work by being an outpour of love for my classmates, professors, and profession as a whole.
Nora Dixon
I am a firm believer in the cliché, “You get out what you put in.” I am running for OTSC council
chair to learn as much as I can about OT while serving an organization that I love!
As president of my sorority, I facilitated executive board meetings, presided at chapter-wide
meetings, and delegated tasks to executive board and general members. To illustrate my ability
to effectively manage a group, I will mention my accomplishments during my presidency.
First, I was awarded President of the Year on my campus for outstanding leadership and for
creating and achieving goals for my organization. During my presidency, my chapter was
recognized on campus and nationwide for excellence in academia, philanthropic involvement,
and leadership experience. My direct involvement in achieving this recognition was creating
an incentive-based points system to boost morale and get members involved on campus,
as well as thoroughly reporting my chapter’s progress. Lastly, I was awarded Greek Woman
of the Year for positively representing my sorority and being a leader in campus Greek life.
I hope it is clear that I would go above and beyond to serve OTSC as council chair. My goals
include providing meeting agendas to make efficient use of our time, as well as make it easier
for the secretary to take minutes; providing quick but meaningful activities for all board members
to get to know each other; and using my facilitation experience to create a safe and positive space
to share ideas and love for OT.
Social Chair
Katie Bui
I am running for the position of Social Planning Chair because I strongly believe that every student in our class should have access to inclusive and meaningful bonding experiences. I care about social planning because it enhances the spirit and unity of our class and gives students the opportunity to establish friendships and professional networks that will last a lifetime. Coming from a diverse background and past experience with planning events, I take pride in learning about individual interests and hobbies to represent them in future social gatherings and unique events. I hope to I can help everyone live their best life in the next two years with a variety of fulfilling occupations!!!
I am looking forward to the opportunity to represent you as OTSC’s Social Planning Chair and prepare fun events for our entire class!
Treasurer
Jennifer Lai
Hello, my name is Jee Eun Lai and I usually go by Jennifer. I would like to run for the treasurer position with the Occupational Therapy Student Council. As a return student coming from a business background, my experiences include accounting, accounts payable, sales and logistics. It wasn’t until years after graduating from college, I found myself yearning for something more than just a full-time job. Initially, my mind was set on counseling therapy since I love talking to and working with people but after interning at a psychiatrist’s office, I felt discouraged with the methods. I still wanted something more meaningful and fulfilling when my mentor introduced occupational therapy to me. When I learned about the holistic practice and the humanistic aspects of OT, I was unable to look back. Pursuing occupational therapy has not been an easy decision as I became a mother at the same time but following my passion has been supported my family fully. Through the involvement with the Occupational Therapy Student Council, I hope to learn, grow, and give back in order to advance the occupational therapy student community as much as possible. I feel that with my background and passion for OT, I would be able to fulfill the duties of treasurer with OTSC without reservation. Thank you for the opportunity to apply and looking forward to learn and work with the team!
Secretary
Caroline Kim
When I decided on OT as a career path, I knew I wanted to do more than just practice; I also want to be a leader in the field. Although I had this desire, I didn’t know what that really looked like practically until my first day of the program here at USC. Sharon Lee was our keynote speaker during orientation, and as she described her experiences that led her to many leadership positions, I realized how I could start practicing this even as a student: take as many opportunities as I can. This is why I’d like to apply for a position in the OTSC executive board. I believe this is a unique opportunity and community that potentially raises up the next generation of leaders. I’d be so thankful to be a part of it and to be able to take steps towards my personal goal of taking on leadership roles, as well as being able to bond with others who have similar interests. The secretary position is fitting for me because I’m very detail oriented, organized, and enjoy observing. I believe that these strengths, along with my excitement and passions about the field and our OT community, make me a great candidate for this position.
Maylen Wang
When I entered UCI as an undergraduate, I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and try something new. I decided to join a dance team at UCI even though I had no prior dance experience since I have only been on the tennis team in high school. After two years of being on the dance team, I went from being a quiet and timid girl who had stage fright to a confident dancer who is always seeking personal growth and learning from those around me. This change is something that I want here at USC. I want to apply for secretary because I want to explore something new that will help me grow professionally by collaborating with other colleagues in USC’s OT program. I have always desired to be on the executive board for an organization at UCI, but I had already invested my time in my dance team, research, volunteering, school, as well as multiple jobs throughout the four years. However, before I came across OT my third year, I was a board intern for the Pre-Pharmacy Society at UCI and had the opportunity to briefly shadow the secretary at that time. I watched her carry out the responsibilities of her position, including keeping and distributing minutes for everyone. I want to experience and learn the dynamics of how a student council is run, especially having the opportunity to be work alongside a second year, as well as becoming a mentor next year.
Historian
Erin dos Santos
I have been a part of student government/council since high school. In high school I was my class’ treasurer junior and senior year and in college I was secretary during my senior year. I would like to be OTSC Historian because I have experience with media. In high school I was the writer for my school’s newsletter and I would take pictures and write short articles for it. Also, during my junior year of high school I was a designer for yearbook. Nowadays, I enjoy taking pictures and editing in my leisure time. I have experience with Photoshop and creating slideshows. I have some experience with video recording and video editing software as well. I would be honored to serve as historian because I am incredibly grateful to be an OT student at USC and I want to give back by helping preserve the memories of our time here.
Janis Yue
Laugh or cry, rain or shine, I would love to serve as one of OTSC’s historians and capture our moments together as growing occupational therapists. Photography is one of my most beloved occupations, and I have a lot of experience documenting events and people through freelance work (feel free to check out some samples at https://www.janisyuephotography.com/). Beyond being a fun hobby of mine, however, I also believe that photography—and media in general—hold a very powerful potential to be used as tools of advocacy and education. Therefore, my purpose as OTSC historian would be to foster inter-connectedness within the Chan division through vivid and compelling images, while also promoting the goals of occupational therapy to the general public. By using a variety of social media strategies, I hope to expose a wide audience to the meaningful narratives found within USC OT. One idea I have is to start a weekly “Chan-tastic” Student Spotlight initiative where students can nominate each other for showing exemplary OT qualities and then whoever’s nominated will be tagged in a post where their story will be shared. Another idea is to do a monthly feature on another student organization that may not have as much of a social media platform. Let’s show the world how awesome OT is!
International Relations Chair
Jillian Marcucci
Hello everyone! My name is Jill. I graduated from California State University Long Beach with a degree in psychology. I learned about OT my senior year of high school and fell in love when I learned more about it in college. My short amount of time here at USC has made me more interested in OT internationally and the subject of Occupational Justice. When I signed up for a women’s gender and sexuality course as my global issues capstone, I didn’t know it would be the most influential course of my college career. I was blinded by my privilege, and this course challenged my established perspectives and forced me to critically engage with subjects that made me uncomfortable. Most importantly, it taught me the significance of understanding the intersectionality’s of race, gender, sex, and class that shape people's unique experiences. My awareness of the systems that subjugate the powerless and sensitivity to these institutionalized issues as well as my ability to have an open mind and learn from other’s histories and experiences is what makes me a suited candidate for this position. I would love to learn more about occupational therapy across nations and research where our services may be lacking or flourishing. I believe this to be an important subject and would enjoy educating fellow students on my findings.
Jacqueline Martin
My name is Jacqueline Martin, and I am a first-year student in the Entry-Level Master’s program. The position that I am looking to hold within OTSC is that of the International Relations Chair. I trust that I am well-suited for this position given my understanding of our responsibility as future Occupational Therapists, my past experience working with the international student population on USC’s campus, and my passion for exploring issues of occupational justice on a global scale. Occupational therapy is a multidisciplinary practice, rooted in both theory and compassion, that seeks to better the lives of people on an individual, communal, and global level. If we do not account for the ‘global’ piece of that statement we are doing ourselves, and the healthcare at large a disservice. By engaging with the field on a global scale, and providing my fellow students with opportunities to educate themselves, we better equip ourselves to be clinicians, educators, and advocates in future practice. In my undergraduate career, I worked as a Resident Assistant for two years at USC’s International Residential College (IRC). This experience opened my eyes to the unique opportunity we have at USC to interact with, learn from, and collaborate with students and professionals of varying backgrounds and cultures. I am eager to create opportunities for USC Chan students to educate themselves on international issues in occupational therapy and grow in cultural competency, while also giving our diverse student body a voice in the process.
Sanny (Tsam) Ning
Living in an increasingly global world, I believe that as future occupational therapy practitioners, it is of the utmost importance to be aware of international issues surrounding OT. Furthermore, being situated in such a culturally diverse city like Los Angeles, much of the populations we serve will have vastly different narratives. Thus, a broader understanding of how OT is practiced around the world, will enhance our ability to understand and work with their narratives as practitioners, and I hope to work closely with USC Chan’s large international student body, as well as the USC Global Initiatives team, to foster a student body that can better understand the role of OT globally.
Fundraising Chair
Daniel Padilla Vega
Hello, my name is Daniel Padilla Vega. I am from Van Nuys, CA. I completed my undergrad at CSU, Northridge. I have a real passion for doing community work and that is what I aspire to do in occupational therapy. I am thinking of working in adult rehabilitation and/or mental health. During my undergraduate career, I was involved with many volunteer organizations where I learned skills such as teamwork, public speaking, problem solving, budgeting, recruiting, and fundraising. I have experience organizing for students and I believe this can be an asset for OTSC. I will do and excel in anything that is asked of me. I can use my previous experience and training in clubs/organizations to raise awareness in our field and communicate with students, faculty, and the community. Working together is important to grow as occupational therapists in. I am confident I have the qualifications, the desire, and the motivation to be an adequate fit for this position. I would love to work with this amazing team to provide the best possible service to our community. I am excited for the consideration of this position and I look forward to working with you all.
Philanthropy Chair
Christie Sue
Hi everyone, my name is Christie Sue and I’m running for OTSC philanthropy chair. I have been involved in philanthropy work starting high school and throughout my college career. During my years in undergrad, I was philanthropy chair for my organization – I’ve worked closely with Make-A-Wish Foundation and Experimental Education Unit at the University of Washington by organizing volunteering events and managing an awareness show headlining a YouTube singer. During my gap year after college, I volunteered at several nonprofit organizations, such as Painted Brain, and wish to continue to partner with them in the future. As philanthropy chair, I would like to bridge the USC OT community to the greater Los Angeles area. I want to provide a variety of volunteering opportunities for OT students for exposure to different settings. Promoting health and wellness of students, faculty, and the greater LA community by hosting events with nonprofit organizations would be something I want to focus on as well. I hope I’m able to contribute to the philanthropic aspect of the USC OT community with my experience in partnership with nonprofit organizations and event planning!
OTAC Liaison
Hannah Na
As OTs, we empower people, regardless of their disabilities or circumstances, to have access to the same opportunities as everyone else. A lot of the advocacy and social-driven work being done by OTAC align with this vision of advocating for our clients and championing for larger issues that affect our profession. Thus, I believe it is important for our student body to be represented in OTAC.
I want to play an active role in USC’s ongoing involvement in OTAC. I believe I have the necessary skills, passion, and personality to be the OTAC Student Liaison. In my 10+ years of working in business, I learned how to navigate professional relationships, be open to listen to the needs and concerns of others, and clearly communicate to enact change. I will work to build a strong professional network at OTAC, so that I can communicate the needs of our student body to OTAC and make sure that our voices get heard. I will make it a goal to get more students involved and spread the word on what goes on at OTAC. I will also make sure to share relevant resources and interesting information that I come across, so that we all have access to the breadth of knowledge at OTAC. Above all, I would like the opportunity to get to know what students really want from OTAC and how to go about making it happen. I would appreciate your vote for me, Hannah Na, to be your OTAC Student Liaison!
Evan Kuchel
I have a keen appreciation for the niche that Occupational Therapists fill and have recently become intrigued by the systemic effect that the Public Health fields can have on the well-being of marginalized groups in particular, and individuals with disabilities specifically. Initially, I planned to go directly into Public Health. I now believe that my personal goals in healthcare policy development will be better served by direct experience in Allied Health, specifically the field of OT. By spending time in this profession and familiarizing myself with its intersection with grassroots movements, I can learn to advocate for more powerfully contextualized interventions, and hopefully one day use these to inform policy. The OTAC Liaison position is especially well-suited to effectively wed OT’s focus on holism, collaboration, and inclusion to the actions of advocacy and policy making. Recently, Bill AB2386 promoted researching the merits of developing specialized OT/PT school services credentials. Providing OT’s with school services credentials could bolster our influence within educational systems. Although this bill failed (for now), its potential exhibits the value of becoming a legislative advocate for the field of occupational therapy and the services it provides.
True activism, and true change will manifest through well-defined goals, and a cohesive movement to achieve those goals. This position will allow me to form a better understanding of how we as healthcare professionals can effectively engage in conversations that will advocate for the implementation of more context sensitive healthcare policies aimed at improving the lives of the populations we serve.
Professional Development Chair
Kaitlyn Kim
My name is Kaitlyn Kim and I would like to run for the Professional Development Chair. As a newly admitted occupational therapy student, I still have trouble explaining my future profession to others, and even when explained with full details, people do not seem to quite grasp the role of occupational therapy in the health field. As the Professional Development Chair, I would like to raise awareness for our field by learning from my colleagues and standing on a platform to extend that knowledge to the general public. As the Professional Development Chair, I would also like to educate occupational therapy students in the area of professional development through the knowledge and experience that I gain with this role. I believe that occupational therapy goes beyond just evaluating our clients—it is a way for us to develop a therapeutic relationship with our clients to help provide meaning in their lives so that they could live life to the fullest and genuinely be content with the activities that they engage in, not only during their respective therapies, but also in everyday life. As the Professional Development Chair, I vow to give my all in spreading knowledge and awareness for occupational therapy, and allowing people to realize that what we do and love is something that they can appreciate as well.
Linda Lee
As a student of the Chan Division, I strive to put forth the best professional and personal versions of myself. As a practicing occupational therapist, I expect the same of my peers and colleagues. This is why I am pursuing the professional development chair – to participate in and contribute to the professional education and development of other occupational therapy students. Greater professionalism equates to greater legitimacy and respect, and although the Chan Division is already well-known for its occupational therapy program, I believe there is always room for improvement. I am excited and honored to be part of the OTSC and hope for this chance to make a difference for my peers and future colleagues.
Cindy Ly
Hello, my name is Cindy Ly. I am a nature enthusiast, milk tea lover, and an individual who has a perpetuating passion for service and learning. I want to be a part of the Occupational Therapy Student Council, because I believe it is an amazing opportunity to develop yourself as a professional and develop an organization you are passionate about. I had previous leadership experience during my undergraduate career. I involved myself in a community service club called Rotaract throughout my four years playing various roles in fellowship, mentorship, and executive leadership. Also, I have played a part in other organizations like Karate for All and afterschool events where I helped create various events like fundraisers, service, and social events. I want to pursue the professional development chair position because I want to help bring awareness and education of our, unfortunately, not as well known health field and help bring other professionals and students along this path. I believe professional development is incredibly essential for all individuals to not only develop their personal careers, but also to bring progress to the field itself. If accepted, I am incredibly excited to learn and be a part of this experience to the help the growth of my colleagues ,myself, and the field!
Lindsay Edgell
I learned about occupational therapy from my mom who was an adapted physical education teacher for her local school district. She encouraged me to learn about the profession, knowing that I valued creativity, compassion and a holistic approach to well-being. After volunteering with an occupational therapist, I fell in love with the profession.
I am passionate about creating opportunities to learn and grow personally and professionally. I have six years of leadership and teaching experience. At Whole Foods Market, I was part of the leadership team and served as the team educator. I was responsible for teaching new policies and safety guidelines to a team of sixty employees, as well as engaging and encouraging employees during fundraising events. I have taught yoga for three years. I created fun and engaging environments for my students by encouraging individual choice and empowerment in their yoga practice.
As the Professional Development Chair for OTSC, I hope to engage our communities, students and other professionals in events that will be educational, fun and promote occupational therapy and occupational science. I believe my past experiences will assist me in being successful in this role, as will the mentorship from Delaney Hudak and Catherine Sin. I believe it is essential that I advocate for and teach others about occupational therapy to ensure consumers who could benefit from our services will have access to them. I hope to inspire other students to become lifelong learners who embrace curiosity and open minds as future occupational therapists.
Faculty Liaison
Noelle Schorn
I think we all can agree that one of the many perks of being in this division is having access to amazing faculty members that actually care about our success. We are lucky to have this relationship and I want to ensure that we take full advantage of it. As Faculty Liaison, I would serve as the bridge between OTSC (the student body) and the faculty—relaying important information from one group to the other. I was attracted to this particular position because I am comfortable giving presentations, am a very good listener, and would love the opportunity to build rapport with both faculty and fellow students.
Beyond the main responsibility of this position, I have some other ideas that may strengthen our relationship with the faculty. Although I’ve been involved in the division for three years now, I feel like I don’t really know a majority of the faculty. I would like to implement a “Meet the Faculty” monthly post on the OTSC fb/insta page where I would share their work experience, interests, fun facts, etc. so if you want specific advice or find common interests, you know who to reach out to. I would also love to hear your ideas and what you would like the faculty to know, so I will find a way to make myself open to all input. I hope you will consider voting for me for Faculty Liaison. I want this opportunity, and promise to get the job done and do it well!
Graduate Student Government Senator
Nicole Yoon
As a new occupational therapy student, I realize more every day that there is a something to learn beyond the classroom setting. I read that when occupational therapy was first established, the founders were aware that using the term “occupation” to describe this profession would bring about confusion. But ultimately, it was chosen as they saw the value in the breadth of the term because of the freedom it would give to future practitioners to be able to use a wide range of modalities personalized to meet the needs and desires of each person encountered (Pendleton, Schultz-Krohn, 2018). Personally, I am fascinated with the flexibility our profession has to be applied to individuals of all races, ethnicities, ages, stages in life, careers, backgrounds, and genders. Along with the diverse backgrounds we students bring to the table, the foundation of occupational therapy lies in our collectively different perspectives that fuel the innate desire to help others. By networking, exposing, and educating ourselves on the details of other professions, we, as future practitioners, can expand our profession to be a vital incorporation for populations currently unspoken for while also letting our creativities flourish in bridging these professional fields. As a Graduate Student Government Senator, I strive to bring representation and awareness of the benefits of occupational therapy and wish to use this platform to generate interest in our profession as well as share our vision of improving the quality of life for all populations with the rest of our campus and society.
LiShan Wee
Occupational therapy has long been an underrepresented and underappreciated field. Advocacy for and increased widespread understanding of our profession starts within our academic institutions, in interdisciplinary collaboration with future professionals of different fields. This is why I want to be Graduate Student Government (GSG) Senator. It is vitally important for our student body to have a voice that represents occupational therapy. I believe that we, as future occupational therapists, have a unique holistic perspective that holds with it a power and capacity to improve USC graduate student life in meaningful and wholesome ways. I can see this come to fruition in University-wide programming, access to mental and physical health resources and in addressing issues of diversity, equity & inclusion. GSG representation also gives us a unique opportunity to engage with individuals of other areas of expertise to not only collectively make USC a better place for its graduate students but also to spread awareness and understanding of OT!
Lois Chyun
I am running for the position of GSG Senator because I desire to take on a role that allows me to represent the Occupational Therapy program here at USC. Occupational therapists collaborate with many other professions, including both health and non-health professionals, so it is important to advocate for OT and inform other students/graduate programs about the values and interests of occupational therapy. I believe this position not only places an emphasis on what it means to be a voice for my peers in the OT program, but also on what it looks like to actively listen to the concerns of other programs. Being GSG Senator appeals to me because this role will challenge me to look beyond my own immediate needs and interests in order to consider what changes may be necessary or beneficial for OS and OT students as a whole. I believe that there is value in the sharing of ideas and interests between the various graduate programs offered at USC, and I hope to be a part of this exchange. I am able and willing to listen to and communicate the interests of my peers, in the hopes of bringing positive change within my program.
Assembly of Student Delegates Representative
Bethrese Padini
I am most interested in being considered for the position of AOTA ASD liaison primarily because of my newfound passion in being involved with politics, professional development, and advocacy for occupational therapy. This can be seen in my recent efforts with OTAC as a volunteer at Assemblymember Chris Holden’s Block Party in Pasadena where I had the pleasure of lobbying and educating the local community about occupational therapy. In addition, I believe I have the necessary qualifications to be considered for ASD liaison. My skills in communication and value in integrity, professionalism, and respect for diversity lead me to believe that I have the necessary capabilities to properly represent USC at any AOTA event. I also have had significant leadership experience as Vice President of Sigma Alpha Pi (National Society of Leadership and Success) as well as President of Psi Chi (International Honor Society in Psychology) at Azusa Pacific University. From these experiences, I am well aware of what it takes to motivate, engage, and inspire students of a particular field to collaboratively achieve common goals through example and vision. Furthermore, I intend to attend all of AOTA’s annual conferences and other various events during my time at USC. This October, I will fly to Washington DC and advocate on Hill Day. I will also attend both the AOTA National Student Conclave and Specialty Conference in Adult Rehabilitation in November. For these reasons, I strongly believe I would be a great asset to the OTSC Executive Board as ASD liaison.
