When I was in preschool, I received occupational therapy services. Going to occupational therapy was my favorite part of the day because I got to do a lot of fun activities with my therapist. However, it was not until I started elementary school in my hometown of Guilderland, NY, when I realized how much occupational therapy helped me. The impact occupational therapy had on me inspired me to pursue it as a career. When I was looking at schools, I was drawn to Ithaca College’s program and the size of the campus. After graduation, I plan on continuing my occupational therapy studies in my graduate year.
During the summer of 2019, I was part of a group that conducted a pilot study examining the abilities of children 12, 18, and 24 months to drive a powered robot chair with a joystick. With the assistance of occupational therapy faculty members Dr. Carole Dennis and Jennifer Iglthaler, we were able to see 10 kids over the course of five sessions. The protocol from our study came from a methodology we created in our research methods class. Through this opportunity, I was able to gain first-hand experience on how occupational therapy research is conducted during my undergraduate career.