Occupational Therapy Student Intern Blog Reflections
Wesley Sanon, Mercy College
October 6, 2020
I was introduced to the field of Occupational Therapy during my last year of undergraduate studies. I was working at a non-profit organization called Living Resources with high school students who were on the spectrum and receiving Occupational Therapy services.
As I was working with the students in a daily after-school program, I witnessed first hand several occupational therapy sessions. After witnessing the sessions and seeing how impactful the occupational therapist was on each students’ development, I researched the profession and realized that it was in line with all of my career aspirations of helping others to live fulfilled and promising lives.
I have always known that I wanted to be in a helping profession where I can empower others to become the best version of themselves. Occupational therapy allows me to fulfill my lifelong goal of helping others on a large scale.
One of the biggest successes in my life was earning a scholarship to play football at a Division 1 university. Playing collegiate football taught me the value of hard work and teamwork which I have carried with me throughout all phases of my life, including my work now at Afya.
Afya is comparable to playing a team sport because everybody in the building is working towards the same common goal. I believe this experience playing a sport also had a direct impact on my decision to become an occupational therapist.
As an occupational therapist I will be working with other medical professionals as part of an interdisciplinary team. We will also all have the same common goal of helping the client to achieve their goals and increase their quality of life.
Working at Afya has been an incredible experience. The best part of the work is coming together as a team to achieve one common goal of helping people throughout the world who we will never meet. It is great to see how hard working everybody in the building is from the volunteers to the staff members. Everyone works together to get medical supplies to people who need them the most around the world.
Seeing high school volunteers willing to give up four hours of their day in the summer to help other people they will never meet is so inspiring – they give me hope for the future of our country.