My Classmates

I have taken the best journey of my life with memories that will last a lifetime. I have met the most amazing people; my classmates. We spent nearly everyday together (Monday-Friday) and many weekends working on projects and/or studying. I never could have imagined becoming so close with so many people that are all so different from me. I have grown to love each and everyone. I admire them and they all inspire me in so many ways. 

Throughout this program, we have shared so much happiness. We have laughed until we cried. My class is a very lively, animated, and a humorous group. This made our days together so much more fun. Some of these memories include classmates singing and playing instruments, putting our feet behind our heads (Ryan), baking, dancing (especially Genelle), birthday poems, dressing up with clothes from the ADL suite, bringing pets to school, playing volleyball, hiding book bags on each other, running to get more coffee as fast as we can, performing skits, many nights at Dubliner especially karate nights, exploring the baltimore harbor, going on paddle boats, days in colombia, Jay teaching yoga while I do Reiki, and acting during lab! I have to say when we have to act out behaviors in lab for our partners we are really good! Many too good!!! I am always laughing with my classmates and this makes my days much happier and joyful especially when we are in the classroom all week for so many hours!

We shared many life milestones together such as engagements, weddings, and babies! We celebrated these days together with love and happiness.

We cried together when we were so overwhelmed and afraid we couldn’t handle much more. We shared frustrations when we just couldn’t figure things out. We shared our feelings of being stressed out with everything in life especially when those outside the program didn’t understand. But you know what got us through this? Our love and support for each other. There have been times when I was so upset and saw another classmate having a nervous breakdown. Immediately, it was my mission to make them feel better whether it be assembling screws and pins for their splint or hugging it out. The great part about this is that it makes you feel better too! I can’t tell you how many times I was stressed out and my classmates have called me to cheer me up, bring me coffee or do ridiculous things just to make me laugh! The support that I have gained from graduate school is nothing but amazing. I have 25 beautiful souls that support me as much as I support them!

Truly, they brought balance and joy into my life. I really couldn’t imagine spending two years with anyone better than my class of 2015. Thank you all for being the amazing people that you are. You have made this the best journey of my life. You are my friends but more importantly you are my family.

Academic Relationships

This past Friday was my last academic class! Wow, I can’t believe I am saying that. Time passes us so quickly!!! It is a reminder to really enjoy life and to be grateful for everyday. My classmates and I have been so fortunate to grow close with our professors including those in other programs such as nursing and physical therapy. Also, we had the opportunity to connect with other faculty members including the dean of health science, the dean of graduate school, and the assistant dean of graduate studies. We were given the opportunities to travel with professors to Colombia, Nashville, and Baltimore as well as work closely together on projects and research! I have formed many close bonds with these individuals. It has really transformed my experience of graduate school into something amazing. Particularly, I have grown especially close with a professor of mine. Her name is Victoria Schindler. Her background is in mental health, which is an area of practice that I am passionate about. I took an interest in getting to know her and about her practice. Also, I was very lucky to be awarded a graduate assistantship with her. It allowed me to connect deeper to the mental health field. We traveled together with many others to Colombia and I learned much more about the psychosocial field than I could have ever expected. It has inspired me greatly and I couldn’t be more excited about my future practice in mental health. Truly, there is much more to learn outside the classroom. If you have the opportunity to connect more with your educators I would strongly recommend it. If you don’t have the opportunity, then I encourage you to create the opportunity on your own. You will be able to excel greatly beyond what you can learn in the classroom and out in the clinic. You can gain more personal insight by listening to individual’s stories and share ideas. By listening to others, you can learn much more about yourself and how you want to be. I am continually learning about myself and what I can bring to therapy. My academic career in the classroom is ending but I couldn’t be more excited about the next chapter of my life as a therapist.  My greatest advice is to take advantage of all the opportunities in graduate school. Make this chapter of your life memorable and meaningful. Volunteer, hangout with classmates, travel with classmates and professors, get involved with research, take on leadership roles, be a graduate assistant, and live life to the fullest. Because when it’s all over, you don’t want to look back with any regrets. In 20 years you won’t remember how broke you were but you will remember all those great times you experienced. So be broke and be happy and always have fun!!! I know I did and I couldn’t be more thankful for all the experiences I had. I would do it all over again if I could! Hugs, Michelle xoxo

Cohort Baby Shower

Last week we threw a cohort baby shower for our expecting speechie mom to be. We all worked together to make her shower a huge success. There is no greater feeling than being a part of such a loving, caring, and supportive group of individuals. Over the course of this journey we have become one big family and and we all can't wait to meet our cohort baby <3

-Jessica

OT Students Travel to Colombia in South America

It’s been a while since I have been able to share some of my experiences from graduate school. However, I just had the most transformative experience of my life so I must!

I was given the opportunity of a lifetime to travel abroad to Colombia for 9 days with 6 classmates and faculty members including two MSOT faculty members, Victoria Schindler and Mary Kientz; a Nursing faculty member, Ann Walker; a Physical Therapy faculty member, Mary Lou Galantino, and the Dean of the School of Health Sciences, Theresa Bartolotta. I could write about the places I visited but instead I will write about the people I met and the emotions I felt. 

I was able to explore the profession of occupational therapy in Colombia. I visited universities where my classmates and I were able to present a scholarly presentation on ways to use yoga as an occupational therapy intervention. To my surprise only 5 people out of 100 was familiar with yoga!!! The students and faculty at the universities were extremely receptive and already have plans to use yoga with their clients! It was so incredible to be able to provide them with the knowledge to use this cost effective intervention in their practice! 

Additionally, we visited clinical sites during the week. These sites were very nontraditional and included a homeless/mental illness inpatient program, a day program with sex workers, an orphanage, and a day program with children that come from really bad home situations. 

Going to the orphanage was an emotional roller coaster. You could see the desire to be held and loved in the eyes of the children. The energy felt was so powerful. I instantly connected with a little boy. I held him the entire time. It was my goal to make him laugh! We danced and spun around and finally he laughed!! Eventually, he fell asleep in my arms. I just held him so closely. Leaving him was so difficult that I could still cry just thinking about it. The whole time I wondered, does he ever get this much individualized attention and love? Unfortunately, he probably does not. He had the most beautiful eyes and what he gave me was the realization of the purpose in my life. One of my purposes is to adopt children. It just feels right. I was adopted and found a forever home. I must give back. 

Also, I made the choice to be at the homeless/mental illness inpatient setting since that is the population I am most passionate about. The focus of this program is for the clients to acknowledge their problem, get clean from the drugs, developing coping strategies, build a support system, and finally leave the program with a job lined up. This program is 100% voluntary and the duration is 9 months. The only rule to stay within this program is that you do not stay out at night and you remain sober. What I learned was that without commitment change will never occur. It was so inspiring to be around individuals that were so strong and empowered for change! 

I felt very honored to interact with these individuals and to have them share their stories with me. I know how hard it could be to share your life’s mishaps and knowing that these individuals felt brave enough to share with me was so inspiring. Every single person that I interacted with faced some serious struggles and did the best with what they had at the time. The biggest lesson I learned was to have no judgment! 

Some of these situations that led them to addiction and homelessness include abuse, neglect, and/or a lack of resources. Everyday they face so many hardships. The poverty issue persists and 45% of the population lives in poverty. Their poverty is way different than the poverty in the U.S. Many people have said to me, “well we have those issues in the U.S.” Yes we certainly do have our own issues however their problems are far worse than any of our situations. Many are living in homes made of cinder blocks or plastic with no utilities and food. The sizes of some of the homes are as large as my closet. Some even smaller. It was so eye opening and I felt so selfish with everything that I have been blessed with. I cried most nights.

So often my ego is worried about looking good. I forget to graciously show gratitude for everything that I have. This includes being able to eat 3 meals a day, taking a hot shower everyday, having clean clothes to wear, and drinking fresh water whenever I want! I mean we are SO lucky.

I’ve always known how fortunate I am and how bad some people have it. But to physically see it and talk to these individuals was so awakening. I truly have been transformed from this experience and feel so empowered to make a difference. 

Happy Holidays Everyone!

-Jessica

Spring Break Cohort Love

After a stressful few weeks of midterms, projects, and homework my cohort decided we wanted to have a night of relaxation over spring break. We decided to set  up a "Paint Night"! One of the girls in my cohort was nice enough to let us use her house and we all brought a little something, whether it was a snack or wine. It was great to spend such a fun night with each other where we didn't have to worry or stress about school and could just relax. I am beyond lucky to be apart of such an amazing cohort with some incredible individuals. Through stress, mental breakdowns, anxiety ridden moments, unanswered questions, and all the highs and lows of this journey we are all here for each other and one big family!

Here are some pictures from "Paint Night"

Cohort 4 love <3

-Jessica

Getting Through Midterms

Ahh Midterms, the halfway point in the semester and the week of craziness before spring break. This is when most of us become addicted to caffeine, stress eat all of our feelings and emotions (candy, dessert, pizza, all the unhealthy things), sacrifice sleep for more studying, get slightly moody from being overwhelmed with stress, could care less about our personal appearance and live in sweatpants or yoga pants, and feel like our worlds are going to fall apart and we are going to fail. We stress so much over a simple test, everyone tells us we are going to be fine, but in our midst of craziness we don’t believe them. 

Here are some friendly tips to help get you through this week of craziness without losing your mind!

1.   TAKE A DEEP BREATH!

2.   Get organized, make your note cards, study guides, etc. (the more organized and prepared you are the better you will feel).

3.   Study with friends! This is my saving grace. I can study by myself and feel like I know nothing or become confused. When I study with friends and talk it out I build my confidence on the subject and retain the information so much better. Plus a lot of times your friends will have ways of remember things that might help you. The best way to do this is to study on your own first and then come together.

4.   Pack yourself healthy snacks and meals. You may really want that slice of pizza, cheeseburger, cheesesteak, etc. They taste great and smell amazing however, they make you feel stuffed, bloated, sleepy, and after you eat them you usually just want to go take a nap or watch TV. Healthy options will keep your brain powered, body fueled, and you focused. (Treat yourself though: Have an iced tea, chocolate milk, chocolate covered peanuts, pretzels, strawberries etc, popcorn, ice cream, and even splurge on a cookie if you really want).

5.   Caffeine, caffeine, this all personal preference. I myself am not a huge caffeine person. I drink tea from time to time, but have noticed since graduate school I drink more. I try to limit my caffeine though. Instead of constant caffeine during midterms when I feel like I am crashing I will grab a raspberry iced tea, a soda, or really cold water to wake me up. I will admit I go for the caffeine when those crashing points hit, but I try to wait until then.

6.   Get some sleep! You will not remember anything if you don’t get sleep. A tired mind is a lazy mind, a lazy tired mind retains enough to just get you through the day. You need your rest!

7.   Give yourself a break! You can only study so much and there is a thing as OVER STUDYING!! Go out and do things. Go see a movie, grab dinner, hang out with friends, spend time with family, lounge around and watch Netflix, go to the gym, etc. Whatever will help to relax you! Remember you are a person who has a life and needs. School is a priority but it is not your whole life. You need breaks!

8.   Most Important Learn what works best for you. For instance, I like

-         using a white board to write everything out and visually see it.

-         Color coding my note cards.

-         Studying with my friend, we work so well together (I am very lucky).

-         Talking out my note cards while I drive (probably not the safest but it helps me).

- I also take excessive notes during class so that when I go back I can remember everything from that lecture.

Now that you have some tips for next time and your exams are done enjoy your Spring Break =)

-Jessica