My past, present, and aspirations for the future, all contribute to who I am as an individual. In other words, it embodies my identity by defining who I used to be, who I am now, and who I seek to become. As a result, my experiences paved the path for my life to follow. Furthermore, I am proud to accept my history, for every aspect of it has brought me to where I am now, by molding my character along the way. Moreover, it has brought me closer than ever to my pursuit of happiness through realizing my aspirations. The foundation for disposition originates from my family, which is a crucial aspect of my identity. From the beginning, my encompassing environment provided my life to live in a context revolving around disabilities and special …show more content…
When I started preschool, I was already showing signs of ADD, however, I was neither diagnosed nor treated for it until I reached the fifth grade. In the interim, regularly scoring “far below basic” on standardized tests, being labeled as a social outcast, and being the class target for ridicule, all made for a difficult elementary school experience. After the fifth grade, I moved districts to escape the negative environment of being bullied at school. This coincided with the beginning of my treatment. Once I started to receive the help that I needed, I began to excel in my academic and social abilities. From that point onward, my determination finally became …show more content…
After I graduate CSUF with my bachelor’s degree, I plan on going to a graduate school with an accredited Occupational Therapy program, I would likely choose to stay in the Cal State system and choose to attend CSUDH, primarily due to distance and cost preferences. Understanding that Occupational Therapy is a competitive field, I have stayed determined and focus on my goals by obtaining the best grades that I can, relative to my abilities. My willingness to challenge the limits of my learning enabled me to grow as an individual and benefit from my education. It is consistently visible through my grades across my college years, consisting of A’s and B’s, which accumulate to my current GPA of 3.84. After obtaining my Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy, I hope to find a career as an occupational therapist, specializing in children with mental disabilities, either in a clinic or in a setting that provides services in the patients’ home. I love the individualized approach of helping a child with special needs accomplish a task they were not able to before, so they can have a sense
Among carpenters, it is a well-known fact that building a house upon a solid foundation is imperative. When beginning the construction of a home, the foundation is always the first step leading to success, for without it, the house will become unstable. During extreme weather, such as floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and other conditions, a slight fault in the foundation of a home will most likely guarantee significant damage, if not complete destruction. Similar to a house, a person’s identity must rest upon a firm foundation; otherwise, it may not be capable of withstanding the ominous conditions of the world. When trials and burdens threaten to crumble people’s identities, their foundations must stand their ground and overcome the various tribulations. Although there are billions of inhabitants of the world, no two people share the same identity; rather, each person has unique memories, stories, events, and artifacts influencing who they have become. Some people’s identities may reflect a difficult childhood of discrimination, poverty, and hatred similar to the one described by Malcolm X in his article, “Nightmare.” Other people may associate with Katie Pederson and her article, “Identity,” in which they are defined through a simple artifact such as an identification card. In addition, numerous unfortunate people may struggle from the devastating effects of memory loss similar to those Floyd Skloot experienced, and they are helpless as their memories and identity slowly slip away from them. Still other people may find themselves desperately searching for acceptance and identity similar to the homeless man in Gina Berriault’s article, “Who Is It Can Tell Me Who I Am.” Unlike the homeless man and Malcolm X, I was fortuna...
Currently, there is still a lively debate about whether ADD is caused by the effect of the environment on children or by a biological dysfunction. It is likely that studies will, at some point, provide us with an elaborate answer, which I hope to learn and contribute to through the appropriate avenues at the University of Maryland. In my case, the disorder proved to be useful to generate the impetus needed to handle its consequences and it is this drive and resilience that I look to capitalize on during my undergraduate
In the essay "It’s Hard Enough Being Me," Anna Lisa Raya relates her experiences as a multicultural American at Columbia University in New York and the confusion she felt about her identity. She grew up in L.A. and mostly identified with her Mexican background, but occasionally with her Puerto Rican background as well. Upon arriving to New York however, she discovered that to everyone else, she was considered "Latina." She points out that a typical "Latina" must salsa dance, know Mexican history, and most importantly, speak Spanish. Raya argues that she doesn’t know any of these things, so how could this label apply to her? She’s caught between being a "sell-out" to her heritage, and at the same time a "spic" to Americans. She adds that trying to cope with college life and the confusion of searching for an identity is a burden. Anna Raya closes her essay by presenting a piece of advice she was given on how to deal with her identity. She was told that she should try to satisfy herself and not worry about other people’s opinions. Anna Lisa Raya’s essay is an informative account of life for a multicultural American as well as an important insight into how people of multicultural backgrounds handle the labels that are placed upon them, and the confusion it leads to in the attempt to find an identity. Searching for an identity in a society that seeks to place a label on each individual is a difficult task, especially for people of multicultural ancestry.
My initial exposure to the field of Occupational Therapy was not until my Junior year of college. While sitting in an auditorium for an Intro to Health Professions course, listening to a licensed occupational therapist describe her daily work tasks, I began visualizing myself in her position to see if this career would be fitting for me. Because of my life long interest in science coupled with my natural empathy towards people, I had known for a long time that I wanted to be in the health field but struggled to settle with the career choices I had initially been presented. As I imagined myself being an occupational therapist, my mind began to flood with ideas and aspirations of what I could accomplish in this field using the strengths I had been developing over the past 22 years of my life
Finally there wouldn't be a better place to pursue such career if not in one of the top schools in the nation. Occupational Therapy is a career that I realize will give me the ability to help people and doing it right means a lot to me, attending a school with a score that is rated higher that than national certification average means to me that I will be well equipped to go into the field and be more than prepared and confident in what I will do. I am willing and able if this opportunity is given to me to achieve my dreams of helping others and also having self-fulfillment in my
While growing up I had many ideas of what professional career I wanted to obtain, although until recent years, occupational therapy was not even a thought. It was not until my grandmother had a stroke that I even knew what occupational therapy was or entailed. I watched my grandmother participate in therapy leading her to learn how to tie her shoes again, and the things I thought were so simple as to dress herself again. It was during that time as high school graduation was approaching that I realized I wanted to be apart of that. I wanted to have a role helping others learn and exceed as she did because I seen how much joy it brought her. This experience opened my eye to the things we so often take for granted, that some people lose the ability of doing or lack the ability of doing. Throughout her journey of facing and overcoming these problems, it led me to a yearning to pursue this
Identity, an ambiguous idea, plays an important part in today’s world. To me identity can be defined as who a person is or what differentiates one person from another. Identity would be a person’s name, age, height, ethnicity, personality, and more. A quote by Anne Sexton states “It doesn't matter who my father was; it matters who I remember he was”(Anne Sexton). This quote helps me define identity because I believe it is saying that identity is what people are remembered by. When some people think of identity, words such as, uniqueness, distinctiveness, or individuality may come to mind. However, I disagree with this because when I think of identity I think of mimicry, self-consciousness, or opinions.
Does one’s past define his or her future? Certainly not! "Regardless of what has happened in our lives, or what we have done in the past, we can choose behaviors th...
I have chosen the Masters of Occupational Therapy at the University of British Columbia for a variety of reasons: (1) it is a practical program facilitating the hands-on training and skill-set required to work effectively in the field (2) the mission statement and ethics mirror my values and beliefs, and (3) Vancouver provides unique academic opportunities, including possible practicum placements with the BC Children’s Hospital, and is located near my family in Victoria.
I will major in Physical Education and Health Science with a focus in Pre-Occupational Therapy. I have decided I would like to be an Occupational Therapist and work at the nursing home after receiving my certification. I plan to attend graduate school at Belmont University to receive my certification as an Occupational
Do you think your past experiences have shaped the way you think and live your life? Well, in an excerpt from The Autobiography of Malcolm X he states, “All of our experiences fuse into our personality. Everything that ever happened to us is an ingredient.”Malcolm X is correct because every experience you have can impact you in a positive or negative way. My mom’s dedication to succeed in life, and my failures have shaped me into the person that I am today.
A person’s identity is shaped by many different aspects. Family, culture, friends, personal interests and surrounding environments are all factors that tend to help shape a person’s identity. Some factors may have more of an influence than others and some may not have any influence at all. As a person grows up in a family, they are influenced by many aspects of their life. Family and culture may influence a person’s sense of responsibilities, ethics and morals, tastes in music, humor and sports, and many other aspects of life. Friends and surrounding environments may influence a person’s taste in clothing, music, speech, and social activities. Personal interests are what truly set individuals apart. An individual is not a puppet on the string of their puppet-master, nor a chess piece on their master’s game board, individuals choose their own paths in life. They accomplish, or strive to accomplish, goals that they have set for themselves throughout their lifetime. Individuals are different from any other individual in the world because they live their own life rather than following a crowd of puppets. A person’s identity is defined by what shaped it in the first place, why they chose to be who they are, and what makes them different from everybody else in the world. I feel that I have developed most of my identity from my own dreams, fantasies, friends, and idols.
Throughout life, we are faced with endings that are challenging to accept, and those challenges can also create undesirable occurrences that are inevitable. While most transitions are uncomfortable, the process of accepting a new journey is essential for personal growth. Ending a comfortable way of life and entering into an unknown territory can be an intimidating experience which can force a person to stay in their comfort zone. Why do new experiences make individuals feel lost or undecided about their direction in life? In Transitions: Making sense of life’s changes, the author William Bridges, guides his readers through three stages of change, which include, the ending, the neutral zone, and new beginnings. According to Bridges, transitions start with an ending, however, it is the ending that starts with a beginning. Part of the beginning and ending process is an important portion of the cycle, barriers have to end in
1. Am I aware of my own identity and its influences on my beliefs and behaviors? Yes, I am aware of my own identity and its influences on my beliefs and behaviors. I do think that my identity does effect my beliefs and behaviors.
Now as a present-day college student, I’m using my past lessons and experiences to continue my bright future. At this time, my current priority is to transfer to San Diego State University and get my bachelors degree in “Kinesiology With Emphasis in Pre-Physical Therapy”. Once that’s done, I’ll have to study another three years in PT graduate school preferably in the University of California, San Francisco. It’s going to be a long road, but I’m confident that I’ll