My Why

I have heard it said before that sometimes our experiences in life lead us to new journeys, and this is certainly true for me. For the last nine years my dream has been to become a dentist.  I know that's is not the typical start to for someone in occupational therapy school, but I feel transparency is important in getting to know me. Freshman through junior year of college, my time was directed toward DAT preparation, pre-dentistry classes, and shadowing in dental offices. I was never necessarily unhappy in the field of dentistry, but was also never really fulfilled. 

The summer before senior year I had the incredible opportunity to move to New York and be an au pair for the Summers family in Brooklyn. I was connected to the family through a small agency I heard of from a sorority sister . I didn’t know the Summers from Adam and didn’t meet them until the day I drug my suitcases to the steps of their brownstone. My “New York mom,” Cate, immediately welcomed me with open arms. Though I was taking care of her children for the summer, she was sure to take care of me, too. She took me under her wing in many ways, including inquiring about my aspirations for the future. She questioned my motives for my chosen career path, asked me about my goals, and shared her wisdom.  All of this brought me to a place of deep discontentment. Cate pointed out the lack of passion I had when talking about dental school, shadowing dentists, or dentistry in general. I half-heartedly reassured her that I wanted to pursue a dental career. I wanted to travel to Haiti on mission trips and fill cavities. I wanted to volunteer my Saturdays to work in local clinics. I wanted to help people.  In what seemed to be a God-ordained sentence, Cate said, “I believe you want to go to Haiti on mission trips, that you are ready to give up your time for others, and that you absolutely want to help people. However, I think you have known for a long time that you don’t want to do that in the field of dentistry.” Never have I had someone be so honest and forward with me. My plan had been dentistry for so many years, that no one, including myself, questioned my decision. This sounds disheartening, but without this realization, I would never have found occupational therapy. 

This is where the new journey begins, and I was introduced to occupational therapy. One of my biggest responsibilities as an au pair was taking care of Hooper, the Summer’s five month old son. Hooper was having major difficulties supporting his own head. He wasn’t grasping for objects put in front of him and was nowhere near sitting up at the appropriate age. Having prior experience in the church nursery with this age group for years, I was slightly concerned that he was developmentally delayed. I had no idea what this meant or who could help, but Cate put my observations into action and met with the pediatrician who referred Hooper to an occupational and physical therapist.  I accompanied Cate and Hooper to his first appointment, and that’s all it took. Being a part of Hooper’s therapy progress was all I needed to know that this was exactly what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. 

When I got back to Arkansas in the fall, I set up an appointment to shadow an occupational therapist in an effort to get some more experience. The first patient came and went, and I had an overwhelming sense of relief. I felt I had saved myself from a life of discontentment and found a career that was going to be enjoyable for me. With the second patient, there came a sense of passion. I loved getting on the patient’s level and connecting to them in a way I never had with dentistry. By the third patient, there was purpose. It reaffirmed that this was the kind of “helping” I wanted to do for others. I knew that I wanted to go to Haiti to help people achieve developmental milestones, enhance their daily lives, and love people on a more hands-on level.  An occupational therapy career aligns with and satisfies every professional goal and aspiration I have: to love people, to help them in a range of capacities, whether it’s physically or cognitively, and to never quit learning.       

 I’m eager to continue to learn, grow, and serve others as I embark on the journey of becoming an occupational therapist.