Welcome to the
2011-2012 Occupational Therapy school year at Saint Louis University!
This semester we are starting a new way to inform and promote a variety
of things relating to Occupational Therapy. As first year Master
students, we are developing this blog and updating it periodically to include
information pertaining to current students and those interested in SLU’s
Occupational Therapy program. We are very excited to keep this blog
updated and want to provide our email addresses for anyone interested in the
program to contact us if you have questions.
Holly VanderSchaaf hvander1@slu.edu
Caryn Murray cmurra21@slu.edu
Ryan Montgomery rmontgo2@slu.edu
Hi Everyone!
My name is Caryn. I am looking forward to starting my first experience as a blogger. As an OT student, I have learned that part of Occupational Therapy’s wide area of focus includes looking at individuals and seeing what makes up that person, including their interests, values, beliefs, past experiences, environment, and much more. I want to give a blurb with a little background info on me. I believe it would only be natural to give a brief insight of my previous experiences. This can also give you an idea on how I might approach things and how you can utilize me (and my fellow OT student bloggers) to help you develop your sense of self particularly relating to your journey into the world of Occupational Therapy!
I was born in SE Texas. My family (two loving parents, an older brother & two younger sisters) and I moved to a small town in north central Arkansas when I was 11 years old. I received my bachelor degree in Psychology at the University of Arkansas in 2008. The spring semester of my sophomore year, I decided I wanted to become an Occupational Therapist. I first heard about OT while I was a baby-sitter for a family with a child with Down syndrome, but I really didn’t consider it until I did more research on my own. Even after deciding OT, I still sought out volunteer experiences to confirm my decision before applying to graduate school. I did a volunteer year with the Vincentian Service Corp working at an adult day care center here in St. Louis shortly after my undergrad. I really enjoyed it but I still wanted to find other volunteer programs because I personally felt I wasn’t ready to go back to school just yet. I then moved to Chicago to live and work as a therapy aide at Misericordia, a long-term care facility for children and adults with developmental disabilities. While in Chicago I started applying to different OT schools until I was accepted and began SLU’s program this past May.
Hello All,
My name is Ryan and I am a thirty year old female, the name is a bit deceiving. . I am a native of St. Louis. And for those of you who are from St. Louis, I went to Rosati-Kain High School. I am very excited to blog about my experiences as a masters student in the Occupational Therapy Program at Saint Louis University! So just to give you a bit of my story, I previously graduated from SLU in 2003 with a bachelor degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders. After I graduated, I wasn’t sure if this truly was the profession of my dreams, so I chose to work in sales before I made any major moves. I spoke with a few friends who are in the OT field and they aided my decision to become an Occupational Therapist. With more research, I decided that this would be a good field for me to go into. I love helping people and there are so many areas of practice, anyone with a caring heart who is interested can find their place in this field. I committed myself and took all the necessary prerequisites, which took a year and a half. I was accepted to the program in 2010 and was placed on the waiting list for a year. In May of 2011, I began the OT program at SLU and I am so happy with my decision. So if you get placed on the waiting list, don’t be discouraged take that time to prepare yourself for this new adventure believe me it’s worth it!
Holly VanderSchaaf hvander1@slu.edu
Caryn Murray cmurra21@slu.edu
Ryan Montgomery rmontgo2@slu.edu
Hi Everyone!
My name is Caryn. I am looking forward to starting my first experience as a blogger. As an OT student, I have learned that part of Occupational Therapy’s wide area of focus includes looking at individuals and seeing what makes up that person, including their interests, values, beliefs, past experiences, environment, and much more. I want to give a blurb with a little background info on me. I believe it would only be natural to give a brief insight of my previous experiences. This can also give you an idea on how I might approach things and how you can utilize me (and my fellow OT student bloggers) to help you develop your sense of self particularly relating to your journey into the world of Occupational Therapy!
I was born in SE Texas. My family (two loving parents, an older brother & two younger sisters) and I moved to a small town in north central Arkansas when I was 11 years old. I received my bachelor degree in Psychology at the University of Arkansas in 2008. The spring semester of my sophomore year, I decided I wanted to become an Occupational Therapist. I first heard about OT while I was a baby-sitter for a family with a child with Down syndrome, but I really didn’t consider it until I did more research on my own. Even after deciding OT, I still sought out volunteer experiences to confirm my decision before applying to graduate school. I did a volunteer year with the Vincentian Service Corp working at an adult day care center here in St. Louis shortly after my undergrad. I really enjoyed it but I still wanted to find other volunteer programs because I personally felt I wasn’t ready to go back to school just yet. I then moved to Chicago to live and work as a therapy aide at Misericordia, a long-term care facility for children and adults with developmental disabilities. While in Chicago I started applying to different OT schools until I was accepted and began SLU’s program this past May.
Hello All,
My name is Ryan and I am a thirty year old female, the name is a bit deceiving. . I am a native of St. Louis. And for those of you who are from St. Louis, I went to Rosati-Kain High School. I am very excited to blog about my experiences as a masters student in the Occupational Therapy Program at Saint Louis University! So just to give you a bit of my story, I previously graduated from SLU in 2003 with a bachelor degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders. After I graduated, I wasn’t sure if this truly was the profession of my dreams, so I chose to work in sales before I made any major moves. I spoke with a few friends who are in the OT field and they aided my decision to become an Occupational Therapist. With more research, I decided that this would be a good field for me to go into. I love helping people and there are so many areas of practice, anyone with a caring heart who is interested can find their place in this field. I committed myself and took all the necessary prerequisites, which took a year and a half. I was accepted to the program in 2010 and was placed on the waiting list for a year. In May of 2011, I began the OT program at SLU and I am so happy with my decision. So if you get placed on the waiting list, don’t be discouraged take that time to prepare yourself for this new adventure believe me it’s worth it!
Hey!
My name is Holly VanderSchaaf. I am 25 years old and was
born/raised in a suburb of Orlando, FL called Lake Mary. When I was 17, I
moved up to Bourbonnais, IL to attend Olivet Nazarene University. In
2007, I transferred to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. As I
was finishing up my senior year about to graduate with my Bachelors in
Psychology, I stumbled across Occupational Therapy in a personality book. I
had never heard of the field and wanted to learn more. After doing some
of my own research, I fell in love with it and knew this the kind of career I
wanted. I originally planned on either going for my Masters in Social
Work or Counseling. The part of OT that I enjoy the most is being able to
be there for someone going through a hard time. I will be able to help
them develop, grow, or adapt to their situation. I enjoy the mental
health aspect of life and Occupational Therapy. Also, with healthcare, it
can be hard to find someone who will actual listen to you and with OT, we pride
ourselves on really listening and catering to our patients/clients. After
I graduated in December 2009, I had to take 8 extra pre-reqs in order to even
apply to the program. I spent the next year and half taking those
classes, working two jobs, volunteering, studying for the GRE, and getting my
application ready. I was accepted at SLU February of this year and began
in May. It has been a long journey to get to where I am today, but it was
definitely worth the time and sacrifices I’ve made. I love Occupational
Therapy and the opportunities in this field.
