OTSC 2011-2012 Candidate Bios

Please review the candidate bios before casting your votes.  
Voting ballot can be found at the bottom of the page.

Hello! My name is Michelle Arredondo and I am a Bachelors Student in the Progressive degree program for Occupational Therapy. I am one of the relatively “new” students in the MA program. I transferred in as a junior year from a community college. At Pasadena City College I was very involved in clubs. I was in Alpha Gamma Sigma (AGS) for two years and represented two different committees. I volunteered for multiple events around campus exceeding the necessary requirements. I also was on the Student Body committee for the Associated Students where we organized events held around campus. Furthermore, I was in Resources for Educational and Employment Opportunities (REEO) that helps students to transfer to a university. Along with my involvement I also worked throughout the school year in an After School program. 

I would like to continue being active here at USC by being elected the BS/MA Representative for Occupational Therapy Student Council. I would like an opportunity to become more involved in my major to grow as a leader. I find that through this whole experience I would be bettering my own roles as a leader and as a student. I am dedicated, committed, and friendly person. Once I set my mind to a specific goal I put in a 110% effort. I look forward to collaborating with my fellow peers in OTSC.

Please consider me for this office and I would enjoy representing you for USC.

Fight on!

My name is Lacey Barnes and I would like to be considered for the ASD Representative.

I am interested in representing our class to the AOTA and being the liaison and voice from AOTA to the students and from the students to the AOTA.

I have leadership experience.  In college, I was the president of my 100+ member sorority and currently I am the Group Fitness Supervisor at Total Woman Gym in Glendale, CA.  I currently manage 35 fitness instructors for our 60 class -a -week schedule.  In my role as manager at Total Woman Gym, I voice the needs and concerns of the instructors to our corporate offices, as well as communicate with our 4,200+ member base.  

If I do say so myself, one of my best qualities is my ability to organize my time to get it all done.  During the summer, I not only worked 18 hours a week, I excelled in OT summer school and was also the maid of honor for my older sister’s wedding (a huge time commitment in itself) I was able to do it all, efficiently and effectively, with time left over to teach free yoga to the OT students once a week. 

I would love your consideration for this position! 

Thank you for your time

Sincerely, 

Lacey Barnes 

Hello, my name is Amber Bennett. I am a first year Masters student and very excited to be at USC after 8 years in the working world. 

As most of us know, the purpose of OTSC is to represent our interests to the greater university, provide opportunities for student interaction, and create volunteer/fundraising opportunities. In addition, the OTAC Delegate must be a liaison between the department and our state Occupational Therapy association. I believe my experience would be a good fit for these objectives.

First of all, my undergraduate degree is in Recreation and Leisure Studies, which means I have a degree in creating good times! I was the President of my department's student association. In that capacity I organized various social and fundraising events, including an annual golf tournament. I was very active in the state and national professional associations, organizing a mentorship program and initiating student recruitment challenges.

After graduation, I spent a few years doing adventurous jobs such as Trek Leader for cross-country tours and Single Sailor Program Coordinator on a naval base in Spain (yes, really). Eventually I settled into a career as an event planner, managing high-profile corporate events for Bank of America. As you can imagine, I love to throw a great party!

Now I can't wait to become an Occupational Therapist, and I am eager to help contribute to this experience as much as possible. I am hoping for your support and the opportunity to represent this great program!

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hello friends and colleagues! My name is Alla Berger and I am enthusiastically running for a position on OTSC! I am a first-year MA student that is falling more and more in love with OT by the day. 

I recently graduated from UCLA (please don’t hold it against me) with a degree in Mass Communications and English. I love this program at USC and I want to be a part of OTSC so I can contribute to helping student life thrive.

Like all of the other worthy candidates, I have a leadership background. As social chair for UCLA Hillel, I reached out to dozens of incoming freshman, many of whom I subsequently guided to take on leadership roles within the organization. I planned multiple social events and initiated a new series of career-orientated workshops, led by prestigious members of the lay board. The following year, I became the Communications Intern for Hillel, where my main job was writing, organizing and sending out informational emails and newsletters to the Jewish community in Los Angeles. 

Throughout my undergraduate career, I held the position of office assistant for the Office of Residential Life, where I learned multitasking, responsibility, attention to detail, professionalism and much more. 

I am interested specifically in becoming secretary or historian for OTSC. I hope to infuse even more greatness into the organization with my enthusiasm, communication skills, leadership background and genuine love for the field of OT. Thank you so much for the opportunity!

My name is Alisa Chatprapachai, and I am from Cypress, CA. I am running for the BS/MA Representative position because I would love to represent my fellow seniors in OTSC. I have played various roles such as a Resident Advisor, Cultural-Community Director for USC CASA, a dog walker to my 2 children, Lucky and Summer and just recently, a camp counselor to Thai-Americans, ages 5-17 over the Labor Day Weekend. Needless to say I love being around people and serving the community. On my free time I love to do yoga, play Words with Friends, and attempt to sing in tune.


Thank you for taking the time to read my bio! Have a lovely day

Hi fellow Occupational Therapy students!  My name is Megan Chen and I am a first year student in the program right now.  I graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in Psychology last year.  My aspiration is to obtain my doctorate and eventually work in the administration arena.  I am running for Secretary because I want to get involved in this wonderful organization and expand my knowledge of the administration side of Occupational Therapy.  Furthermore, I believe I have the skills and experience to do a good job in this position.  In a few words, I would describe myself as a friendly and easy going person that is also well-organized with an acute attention to detail.  My computer literacy and interpersonal skills would be valuable as the Secretary is required to interface directly with all club members and officers as well as prepare most of the club's outgoing correspondence.   In addition, I have previous experience as a Secretary in an organization at Berkeley and have held multiple administrative assistant positions for both professors and accountants.  As a result, I am extremely proficient in Microsoft Office, spreadsheets, emails, and data entry (with a typing speed of 107 words per minute) and have further developed my communication skills in my interactions with various people in different social situations.  I strongly believe that I will make a great secretary and would love to be a part of the Occupational Therapy Science Council so please keep me in mind.  Thank you!

Bethany Cook
Go Big or Go Home.  Growing up in Texas this phrase can come to feel like a mantra.  Many decisions in my life reflect this “get ‘er done” philosophy.  At 14 I took my first international trip, in the Go Big fashion it was to Turkey.  After a course on the history of AIDS in Africa I took a group of college students to spend a month working with street kids in Mozambique.   After deciding I want to be a therapist I lived in Morocco for two months as an intern at a therapy center.  Now I live here in L.A. and in this new environment I am excited to find where I fit in and where I can make a difference.  If elected I will continue to match my Go Big or Go Home attitude with practical plans for execution.  Occupational Therapy is a profession full of opportunity and we, as students, need to move forward confidently through participation in professional and student organizations.  Student council seems like a perfect place to employ the “get ‘er done” attitude I’ve grown up with.  If elected I look forward to tackling new challenges and continuing to Go Big.

 If I haven’t met you, my name is Jane Desmond and I am thrilled to be a part of the USC OT program. I have been so impressed by my fellow students and professors and am excited about the next two years. We are all fortunate to be in such a respected and innovative graduate program.




      There are so many incredible opportunities for growth during our time together at USC. It is also a time to discover our strengths and put them to work. I know that my ability to create and sustain new relationships  will make me an ideal Faculty Liaison. I am a great listener and communicator, naturally adept at the skills required to increase understanding between students and faculty.


       I want to serve as Faculty Liaison because I am passionate about understanding what the people around me care about and advocating for their needs. This is why I served in the student senate as an undergraduate and mentored under-privileged children throughout college. As performing arts commissioner in high school, I worked to highlight the success of my fellow performers and advance their aims- even hosting a weekly television show, "Performing Arts with Jane Desmond," to help bring their story to the whole student body. 


     Clearly, I care about people and want to do my part to help bring our program together. I'm an extremely outgoing and thoughtful person, eager to get to know each of you.  In OTSC, I believe my super friend-ing ability can be channeled for the good of our community. I'm sure I would do an excellent job representing each of you when meeting with field professionals, potential students and individuals working in public policy. All I ask of you is the opportunity. The opportunity to serve, to meet you, and to make new friends.  


Thank you for this opportunity and Fight On! 

Hi, my name is Gianna 'Gigi' Gipe. I am extremely excited for the opportunity to pursue a leadership position on the Occupational Therapy Student Council. As a leader and passionate ambassador for our program and profession, I am highly confident I can successfully represent my diverse peers at the highest level in this environment. Serving on Student Council committees has been a true calling of mine since I can remember. In 8th grade, I had my first experience of student council being elected the ASB president of my school. In my senior year of high school, I was voted ASB President by the student body. 

As an individual in USC’s highly prestigious Occupational Therapy Program, I feel so compelled to represent my fellow classmates and our university. Being in leadership is something I have always been passionate about and like anything, with passion comes progress. In our profession, advocacy is an imperative aspect; I feel I deliver this message empathetically and efficiently. It is vital our profession is represented properly and fairly. Another important aspect of our profession is the social aspect of uniting very different people with very different occupations. I am confident in my abilities to connect and unite people of diversity, to advocate for our profession, to lead social fundraisers/events, and lastly to represent the true essence of what our profession embodies. Occupational Therapy is transforming and it would bring me great satisfaction and joy to represent all of you at the forefront of this Centennial Vision.

Hello Everyone!

My name is Susan Lingelbach and I would be honored and excited to be a part of the Occupational Therapy Student Council this year.  I am not only passionate about OT, but I love USC and the strong program we have to offer.  Not to mention, we have some of the BEST students around.  

So what do I bring to the table and why should you vote for me?  I have a lot of experience in student council from high school where I was the historian, activities commissioner and spirit commissioner, documenting all events, organizing blood drives and rallies and generally encouraging our student body to have a great time.  I was always at the forefront of many various clubs, sports teams, and was still able to be successful in my academic pursuits. In more recent years, I’ve had experience in supervising positions in both retail and medical environments and have an ability to communicate and network with diverse groups of people.  I’ve been both a student and a working professional in the medical community, so I think I’d bring a broad perspective to the group.  

I think we’re all going to be future leaders in our profession and it all starts with getting involved and making the most of our experience here at USC.  I hope to be a part of making that happen for all us!  

SHERRY LUONG

 I graduated from UCI with a major in Business Economics major, an Accounting minor, and a creative mindset that sought beauty in a practical world. I worked as a production assistant for a small fashion company, became an amateur art director, and worked as a junior accountant. Looking for a career that would combine creativity with practicality, I discovered occupational therapy. As a graduate student, more than simply progressing my own professional life, I’d like to also impact the field of occupational therapy through my involvement in OTSC. 

 I am interested in both the Secretary and Fundraising Chair positions because these offices will allow me to combine my two loves- organization and creativity. As a Junior Accountant, I created complex spreadsheets to simplify clients’ and firms’ needs, and took the initiative to organize teams, delegate work, and update individuals. This past summer I organized a study group for Kinesiology and created a class calendar for my cohort. As a campus events intern in the Associated Student Body of UCI (ASUCI), I worked with officers to plan and program campus events. When I volunteered as an art director, I needed to be incredibly resourceful in order to create realistic scenes on a limited timeline and budget. Organization is essential to a functioning office; I know that my managerial skills, attention to detail, and diligence will be an important asset to OTSC.  If I am elected Secretary or Fundraising Chair, my cooperative team spirit and creativity will allow me to continue to develop my leadership skills while contributing to OTSC as well as the profession of occupational therapy. 

My name is Steve Mar and I am interested in becoming the historian for the OTSC. I believe that I am a highly qualified individual to fill the position and that becoming a part of the OTSC would provide an excellent opportunity to promote our profession of occupational therapy.

I am a first year student in the MAII program and my educational background consists of undergraduate studies of kinesiology and health promotion at Cal Poly Pomona. While I believe that that background provides a solid foundation for the professional training that USC will provide, I feel that it is one of my enjoyed occupations that will be of great service to the OTSC. That occupation is the art of photography and I believe that my experience and passion for it can be useful for the position of historian on the OTSC.

The majority of my photography experience has been in capturing nature/landscape, portraits, random objects, and event coverage. One of my very recent accomplishments within the art was having one of my photos selected to be used as a postcard by the Los Angeles County Arboretum. Presently, I am working a self-documentation project titled Project 365, where I document each day in my life for 365 consecutive days with a photo.

FIGHT ON!

Hi, I’m Rosanna Ng, a first year in the MAII program. First, I’d like to say it would be an honor to represent our student body by being a part of the government of the Occupational Therapy and Science Council. To take on the quest to expand our profession’s visibility, to make us heard where we need to be heard, to create a community within our own student body, and to extend a philanthropic arm into the community for everyone’s benefit, student and community member alike, would be a great and worthy cause.
My past causes include being Webmaster for UCLA’s chapter of Psi Chi, a national honor society for psychology students vested in community service. I marketed events on our website, which I maintained, and served as the members’ online liason through email. I also helped plan and exceute fundraising and social events and represented the chapter in fairs to attract members. 

In high school, I was Co-President of the German Club, where I led meetings and planned and implemented fundraisers and social activities. I was also Vice President of the National Honor Society for high school students where I created and oversaw community service opportunities and fundraisers. 

While it would be an honor to serve in any capacity as an officer of OTSC, at this point in life, I’m interested in serving as Faculty Liason or AOTA ASD because I enjoyed representing student interests first and foremost from my previous positions. Thank you for your consideration.

Greetings, 

My name is Tara Perry - a 1st Year MA student class of 2013. I am eager to contribute in OTSC’s leadership opportunities for the position of OTAC or ASD representative. 

A few qualities upon which I am building my OT view: I am good at helping others achieve their goals (simple or complex); I value constant problem solving strategies; I am an effective and confident advocate; I seek new/critical perspectives, techniques and advancements in knowledge constantly expanding my learning; and I welcome the challenge to aid my peers to empower themselves for successful careers in OT.  

My professional experience includes recruitment for the legal industry, project management handling a specific community health enrichment concern for the Port of Los Angeles, organizing for progressive youth party political events and serving as an elected congressional district delegate (CA 33rd Congressional District for Democratic National Convention ‘08). These experiences have provided me the opportunity to work as a group facilitator and to develop my skills in strategic planning, public speaking, building relationships and professional networking. 

I have a strong desire to cultivate my knowledge and leadership qualities within the domain of occupational therapy advocacy and what better way to start than as the OTAC or ASD representative for USC. Fight on!

Hi! My name is Kris Potts and I am excited that we are all starting off on our paths to a great career in occupational therapy. I’m also excited for the opportunity to join Occupational Therapy Student Council. I am 25 years old and I am half Thai half Caucasian (go happas!) I have been involved in student government since high school where I was the school auditor. I also served as the treasurer of Spanish Club and California Scholastic Federation. During my undergraduate years I was involved in the student services division of student government. I was an intern but I eventually became the films commissioner. I learned how to plan, organize, implement, and oversee large scale events. I was also very involved with Thai Club at UC Irvine where I held the positions of treasurer, Vice President and President. I like to be involved and have fun at school because I believe school is not only about learning from textbooks. We need to become active students and enjoy this time before we have to become working professionals. I know everyone applying will be great in any position they get and I hope to be a part of that group too. Good luck Trojans and Fight on!

Julie Rehfield

Though my interests are wide-ranging, a theme of dedication and service is evident throughout my experiences. As I delve into my first year as an MA-II OT student, I would like to increase my involvement in the OT community and interact with other OT professionals.

 In particular, I have a personal interest in the position of Historian as it speaks to one of my favorite leisure occupations, photography. What started as a hobby documenting social engagements found its way into my professional work, including photography and articles for the Child Development Center Newsletter and, later, providing portraits and documentation of key events for Easter Seals Southern California. 

Our student body is a strong one, and most USC OT students could fill a position with OTSC. I believe I am qualified due to my rapport with my fellow students, my history of academic and professional achievement, and my commitment to various volunteer and service projects.

An example would be my commitment to the Sierra Service Project (SSP). SSP is a non-profit that assists groups of junior high and high school volunteers to perform home repairs for marginalized Native American communities while learning about cultural differences and developing a spiritual self. I volunteered annually from ages 13 through 19, followed by three years of participating on staff, and consulting to develop training manuals.

I look forward to opportunities and collaboration with my peers through the OTSC, hopefully as your historian. 

FIGHT ON!

Hi! My name is Ahra Roh, a second-year student in OT.  I am highly interested in and eager to be actively involved in OTSC, particularly in International Topics Representative. As an international student myself and a future occupational therapist, I have a vision of working for international students not only at USC, but also national wide in the US. International students face unique struggles and challenges due to differences in language, culture, and lifestyle and thus they are exposed to high risks of occupational deprivations. Despite the potential impact of occupational therapy to such problems is enormous, people in a position to benefit the most hardly know what occupational therapy is. However, I truly believe once they are exposed enough to OT services, such as through Lifestyle Redesigning for International Students (which is I am currently working on as an independent study for Faculty Practice), they will not only successfully achieve meaningful life in foreign environment, but also physically absorb what OT is that they would become great sources to spread out the beauty and the impact of occupational therapy through their lives even after they return to each of their countries. We all believe in the power of OT and the importance of reaching out to people not limiting in the nation but to the worldwide. Therefore, I strongly believe the OTSC is the most powerful and influential platform in order to initiate the first action of this vision into reality. 

Karli Spence

I am originally from Northern California and completed my undergraduate studies at Pepperdine University in 2008. I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Intercultural Communication with an emphasis in Sociology. During my time at Pepperdine, I took advantage of the many opportunities to travel abroad. While studying in London for two semesters, I spent my weekends traveling to Eastern and Western Europe, which is where I developed a strong interest in international topics. Two volunteer trips to the Dominican Republic and Kenya solidified my desire to be connected to the international community. After graduating from Pepperdine, my interest in philanthropy and service led me to seek employment in the nonprofit sector where I worked for organizations that addressed challenges both domestically and overseas. It was during this time that I stumbled upon, and fell in love with, occupational therapy. OT is the perfect expression of my desire to help others in a very tangible way and to be part of a community that is focused on giving back. My interest in international topics now specifically translates into a desire to know what is happening around the world in the field of OT. I would be thrilled to represent the amazing group of occupational therapy students at USC by serving on the Occupational Therapy and Science Council in the position of International Topics Representative. Thank you for the opportunity! 

Colleagues and Faculty of the University of Southern California:

My name is Sean Sullivan. I am a native of Southern California and a first year Master’s student in the two-year program. I came here from the undergraduate campus of the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California.  While transitioning from a collegiate athlete to professional athlete in Canada, I redirected my life towards serving others. Healthcare became a focus of mine; and more pointedly, occupational therapy became my personal beacon of light. 

I have a passion for understanding the history and cultures that define what it means to be disabled. Disability is a part of every culture in every society, including our own. While this is nothing novel, U.S congress has failed to adequately acknowledge this ongoing problem; and our voice together grows fainter in light of current economic instability. I feel it is my professional obligation to make both the State of California and overseeing governing bodies to understand the impact that occupational therapy has in both preventative and curative medicine. I want to use my time here at the University to learn from both my colleagues and professors to become a knowledgeable, well-rounded practitioner.  I firmly believe that the future of occupational therapy and the quality of care of clients seeking rehabilitation lie in the hands of innovators, leaders, and hard-nosed practitioners. I am certain that together our class will become all of the above. We, together, can influence public policy and lift the bars placed upon our profession and the human beings we serve experiencing disability.

My name is Sepi Termechi and I would love to be a part of OTSC! I have had a lot of experience working with campus organizations throughout my academic career, and would like to continue to do so. 

As secretary of Anteaters for Israel, I planned many weeklong events, engaging hundreds of students and faculty members to participate in activities that were held in the center of campus. As the communications liaison for Hillel, I coordinated outreach efforts throughout the campus and with other schools. In doing so, I was afforded the opportunity to discuss and learn from my network of peers. Finally, as a campus representative I served as an ambassador for my school. My various roles in extracurricular activities at UCI have shaped my ability to better communicate with others, whether it is with fellow classmates or faculty members 

I would like to run for the OTAC representative position as well as the faculty liaison to better connect students with members of the occupational therapy community. Serving as the OTAC representative, I would highlight important events throughout the area and motivate students to get involved and learn from established occupational therapists. If elected faculty liaison I would make similar efforts within the USC community. Paper bag lunches with faculty members would be an invaluable opportunity for students to meet faculty outside the classroom. USC is ranked one of the best schools for occupational therapy and occupational science, and I would like to emphasize this unique advantage among students.

Well hello!  My name is Kendra Treichler and I am a 27 year old MA-II first year student.  I grew up in a small Texas town and was a member of my Orchestra and Drama organizations.  I was also President of the local Speech and Debate team, which would go to weekly tournaments to hone our skills of persuasion.  I fell in love with performing, which led to me study Theater and Dance at the University of Texas at Austin.  There I learned the importance of collaboration and the powerful positive effect that art can have on an audience.  After completing four years of study, I moved to New York to make it on ‘the Great White Way.’  But something wasn’t quite right.  Performing wasn’t as joyful when my audience didn’t gain anything from it.  The thrill of acting dwindled, but my desire to use creativity to positive ends grew stronger.  This was when I decided to become an OT.  

I believe my background in performance, combined with extensive volunteer experience with all the populations under the jurisdiction of Occupational Therapy, has equipped me with the necessary skills for being a student delegate.  I am passionate about patient rights and the importance of OT representation in state and national government.  I am also aware of the importance of collaboration between Occupational Therapists and other Health Professionals. I am an excellent speaker; intelligent, engaging and opinionated.  Add to this my strong personality, maturity, and love of life, and I believe I would be an excellent representative of the USC Division of Occupational Science and Therapy.  For these reasons I wish to submit myself for the position of AOTA Student Delegate or OTAC Representative.

Madison Wells

My senior year of my Undergraduate degree, I was voted by my sorority, “Most Likely to be a House Wife.” While some might take it as an insult, which I did when I first received it, looking back I can tell why my friends thought it fitting. To me, a housewife is always on top of things, organizing, leading their family, delegating, planning, and volunteering their time all while having a smile on their face. Not all housewives portray these qualities, however I believe that I do. I have been organizing events since middle school as the V.P. of Philanthropy in a mother-daughter organization committed to serving the community. I continued to volunteer and organize fundraisers into high school and college when I helped plan a fundraiser as V.P. in the Make-a-Wish Club, collecting over $13,000. In college, four women and I planned 6 six events that raised 2,000 dollars for the women’s shelter of SLO in 3 weeks. Along with fundraising events, I have also been in charge of and helped organize two dances in high school and three events for parents and new members for my sorority. I have a passion for helping others and being part of something bigger than myself. Being a part of volunteer and social organizations from a young age urges me to continue into graduate school. In conclusion, while I obtain my degree to become a professional, I will continue to uphold my housewife qualities and hopefully join the OTSC team to improve student life. 

Kristen Yee

My purpose of becoming an officer for the Occupational Therapy and Science Council is to become more involved within the occupational therapy community and to gain vital leadership qualities that will be necessary in becoming a professional in the health field. I have always been very involved with various student organizations throughout my college career and bring a lot of leadership and programming experience to the table. I was a Student Services Intern for the University of California, Irvine, Student Government, where I helped coordinate all student life activities and entertainment for over 20,000 students. I planned many large-scale events such as festivals, concerts, lunchtime activities, and movie nights. I was also the Director of Programming for “Greek Week” at the University of California, Irvine, Office of the Dean of Students. In this position, I planned and managed the development of a weeklong, large-scale campus-wide event and implemented successful and innovative marketing strategies that increased attendance by 20 percent. During my junior year of college, I was the Intramural Sports Chair for Alpha Phi Fraternity. I coordinated and managed the athletic activities that the chapter participated in during the academic year and acted as the liaison between my chapter and the rest of the Greek Community concerning all sporting events. All of my previous involvements have given me great leadership and communication skills and I only hope to build on these experiences by being an officer in the Occupational Therapy and Science Council. 

Voting Ballot
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