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Personal Statement

Immediately after birth, my cousin Brooke scored lower than expected on the Apgar test. At 6

months she failed to hold her head up properly and eventually by 3 years of age she experienced seizures.

My cousin Brooke was diagnosed with chromosome deletion syndrome, a complex disorder that caused

serious physical and intellectual impairments that affected her for the remainder of her life. I happened to

be there on the day her occupational therapist first introduced Eye Gaze Technology to Brooke. We saw

that she was more capable of communicating than we realized. It turned out that Brooke, an individual

with no vocabulary, no independent eating and little range of self-movement, was still her own person.

Brought out by her team of allied health professionals, Brooke was able to communicate her needs,

express her feelings and achieve overall comfort. Her occupational therapists found a way to bring out her

potential despite her limited functional abilities. Seeing what OT made possible for Brooke gave me an

intimate and personal understanding of why I want a future in this profession.

My childhood introduced me to the client’s experience in OT, but four years of college have

helped me see it from a more professional perspective. I have experienced many different settings and

treatments such as local clinics, rural hospitals, aqua therapy and equine-assisted therapy. This summer I

began my first internship position at Unified Therapy Services, an outpatient pediatric clinic for

occupational, physical and speech therapy. One young girl left a strong impact on me. This child was

experiencing severe attachment, behavioral and developmental issues. In her mind, the only way to

overcome a situation was to sob loud enough for all to hear. Her circumstances were not only preventing

her from speaking, learning and advancing but they also prevented the clinic as a whole from functioning

properly. After weeks of trial, the therapists and I brainstormed new ideas to put this child in the best

position to grow. Eventually, we discovered specific gradual changes that needed to be made in her

environment in order for her to grow effectively. By her 5th week of treatment she was calmly able to

walk into the gym and make strides towards her learning and developmental milestones. By adapting the
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environment to the child’s needs, we were able to execute a client-centered framework. After three

months as an intern, I was then offered the full-time rehab assistant position at this location.

In addition to helping children reach their full potential, I also have assisted the geriatric

population. My time at rural settings such as Mercy Hospital and Southwest Health has taught me how

older populations handle limitations. When independence is limited for an individual, it takes practice,

assistance and change in order to work through that. I witnessed the allied health care teams within these

inpatient facilities treat individuals post-surgery, injury or with the process of aging. For example, I

witnessed an OT administer the Allen’s Cognitive Level Screen Assessment to an elderly woman who

just experienced a traumatic fall in her own home because of her limited cognitive abilities. Based on the

results, the therapist concluded that her level of care needed to increase and changes needed to be made in

her environment. Situations like these showed me how OTs must advocate for clients who are

experiencing new limitations in life in order to assist them with finding new meaning. As an Occupational

Therapist, I understand that my job would be to help aging clients like this one find their full potential

despite the newfound limitations.

Sparked by my Research Methods & Statistics class, I began to understand the role that research

plays in this professional field. Research is important for advancing this field by discovering new trends,

treatments or outcomes by evidence-based practice. Currently, while a part of a neuroscience independent

study, I have taken the lead role in a new project, Justice & Morality. We surveyed 51 students about their

views on justice within academia. Our hypothesis was that their responses would predict their moral

foundations. The relationship between moral foundations and one’s sense of justice should increase our

understanding of how values shape one’s decision making. Applying the idea of morals and justice to

occupational therapy will allow me to recognize the individual differences of each client’s values,

therefore helping me tailor my treatments to their needs. I am able to connect this to my future profession

by using evidence-based practice to help my clients reach their greatest potential, similar to what I

experienced with the young girl and older woman.

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Just as many occupational therapists helped my cousin Brooke defy the odds by living longer

than expected, I want to help create a more just world where more people are able to achieve their full

potential. In order to do so, I want to enroll in an occupational therapy program that is research-driven,

has a culture of community engagement and seeks to provide individualized treatments. After completing

the program, I plan to pursue research and practice in a community-based setting. Ultimately, I hope to

open my own independent clinic and research site.