Congratulations to students in the Health Science Center’s department of occupational therapy for winning first place in the American Occupational Therapy Association’s (AOTA) national contest for student recruitment. AOTA sponsored the contest that recognized the outstanding recruitment ideas from OT schools throughout the nation.
Health Science Center OT students received the award for their annual workshop that is designed to inform individuals of all ages and academic backgrounds about the OT field. The one-day workshop plays a key role in recruiting defined students into the OT programs at the Health Science Center. It is put together by a handful of OT students and provides individuals with a variety of information, including prerequisites of the programs, what the program entails and a tour of the Health Science Center’s state-of-the-art facilities.
Kate Arellano, third year Master of Occupation Therapy student, was instrumental in writing the winning proposal that was submitted to AOTA.
“Kate had statistics in the proposal that showed the workshops that our students provide are effective,” said Kimberly Vogel, Ed.D., associate professor in the department of occupational therapy. “Her ability to provide the extensive information was necessary to portray the efforts of our students.”
Mandi Gonzalez, a 2004 graduate of the Health Science Center’s OT program, accepted the $1,000 prize on behalf of the program. The prize was presented in Long Beach, Calif., and will be used to sponsor a variety of student professional activities.
“Our students were dedicated and conscientious to doing an excellent job to ensure the workshops are especially useful for recruitment,” Dr. Vogel said. “Their efforts deserved this national recognition.”
