The Blog

“To care means to be affected, just as surely as it means to affect” (Yerxa 1967). Hello, my name is Liza. I am a first year occupational therapy student at the University of Utah. I am starting this blog for a few different reasons. First, as an occupational therapy student, the most commonly asked question I receive from family, friends and strangers on the bus, is “What is occupational therapy”. This is an excellent question! My definition and understanding of occupational therapy continues to grow and expand on a daily basis. I am hoping that this blog will provide and educational foundation in the incredible field of OT. Second, I am hoping  my experiences that I share with you will inspire other people towards this field. As a pre-OT student I was hungry for a closer connection to understand what was ahead of me in the graduate school world. I want other pre-OT students to get just as jazzed about the wonders (and anxieties) that they will experience in graduate school. Lastly, I want to gain a better understanding and be able to measure what I am learning. I have decided to cultivate an occupation that I love (writing) into something that would be directly meaningful to my studies. My wish is that I can build a more thorough understanding and practice of OT by writing freely and unforgivingly.

I have no plans for the direction of this blog. That is intentional. I may choose to focus purely on academia, other times it may get a little more personal. I ask you to bare with me, I am learning and not entirely sure what I am doing. I desire to grow. My sole desire is to be the BEST OT student, and future practitioner I can be. I have ideas and doodles about what I want to write about. I want you to participate with me. Share with me your thoughts, regardless if they are OT related or not. Challenge me. If you disagree with something I write then (respectfully) tell me. OT is about interaction and involves some topics that may not be entirely black and white. I have my opinion, which may change, or stay the same. Amy Poehler has this incredible perspective on life, that I have indoctrinated into my own. It’s a very simple philosophy of “good for you, not for me”. I promise, as author, and fellow human being to respect any opinion thrown my way, as long as I am not judged for my own. I want this to be an open forum, a positive learning space for us to breath in each other's air and share it mutually.

I have so many ideas that I am stoked to write and share with you.


Yerxa, E.J. (1967). 1966 Eleanore Clarke Slagle Lecture. Authentic occupational therapy. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 21, 1-9